Shades Of Blue
by xoladytaz
Summary: Hii! Thought of doing something diff from common AzureShipping themes. Ever thought how life would be for Pharaoh Seto & Princess Teana after Atem dies? How he passed down the tomb legacies? How Seto Kaiba & Téa Gardner belong together? Read to find out! CROSSOVER WITH FINAL FANTASY VIII & INUYASHA :) **CH 6 is up 5/14/20!**
1. Chapter 1: Dreams of Blue

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, themes, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

' _Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

 _Songs/Translations_

 _ **Location/Date/Time**_

" **Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 1: Dreams of Blue**

 _ **Domino City, Tokyo, Japan**_

 _ **May 4th, 2018 1:45am**_

A figure lay on his own as he turned & tousled in his once pristine sheets. Memories he's never witnessed before, until he came back from the afterlife, all came flashing in his mind & conscience. Sweat trickled down his sun-kissed body as vivid images from his previous life entered one by one. If one were to be there physically, seeing the renowned ice prince of Domino, looking like he couldn't handle a nightmare, they'd be so fearful of what said ice prince would do if this moment was caught on an image or video and published for the world to see. His chestnut brown hair splayed across his forehead, eyebrows drawn in confusion and worry, his teeth clenched hard.

In his mind, the young woman who haunted his visions, would remain in his thoughts throughout his days. No matter where he would be standing or when he would look towards the sky in daylight & in darkness, her vivid azure eyes, much like his own but full of warmth & serenity, would make his mind call out her name constantly. He'd often wondered if she thought of him in the same manner while being on the opposite side of the world pursuing her ambitions. Every day, memories of their current life would linger in his thoughts. Every night, memories of their past lives would consume his deep consciousness & he'd come to write most of those visions in his journal.

"Arghh….where are you?" He mumbled in his slumber. "Princess….why? Please..come..back…."

His breath kept hitching in his throat, he turned & turned in his soft sheets, hoping she would come back into his arms in his vision. More sweat trickled down his body & he became numb by the minute.

"Princess…. Give her back to me…. She belongs….nowhere….but here..with me."

His heart was hurting so much. Her screams & cries tore at him. Why would or how could anyone subject to such torture on someone like her. Someone who couldn't dare hurt a soul. Someone who would speak with loaded ferocity in her compassion. Even in her current life, she was the same exact person. Seto Kaiba still laid dreaming in his bed of this torturous vision of his past life. All of a sudden, a violent surge went through his body as the woman in his vision fell unconscious as the last whip of torture lashed at her numb & bruised body. His own body jerked up from its sleep & his azure eyes opened into the darkness of his bedroom. Nothing in that moment could numb his thoughts and no one, not even his little brother could've asked what had happened to him.

The only thing, the only name, that was stuck in his head, was her. Seto Kaiba was feared of, but he himself didn't fear anything or anyone. But time seemed to stand still in that moment, even when he woke up from his vision. Not controlled by reflex or consciousness, his voice screamed. For her.

"TEANA!"

He clutched at his bare chest, breathing hard, & clenched his eyes shut. His heart rate was beating too fast & he tried to calm himself down. In steady breaths, he finally began to calm down. His throat felt so dry with every inhale & exhale. He slowly began to open his eyes again, & saw that he was in his own bedroom instead of Ancient Egypt. He looked around & noticed nothing was amiss. But he still felt worried. Ever since his visions began coming to him more often, he slowly had thoughts of wanting to go see her in America.

"Damn it, Téa. What are you doing to me?" His thoughts muddled on the last time he's seen her in person. When they all graduated Domino High School & when she flew out to depart to New York City. It didn't feel odd when she left Domino, but it felt empty when his visions started. He turned his towards the window & looked at the full moon's silhouette shining through his sheer curtains.

' _You're always stuck in my head. Why haven't you really been back at all? Just come back, Téa..'_ His mind settled on thoughts of departures & he decided that he would finally give in to his visions. He's going to New York & not returning to Japan until she comes back with him. He couldn't take the emptiness anymore around here. He's seen & experienced first-hand of all the unexpected adventures he endured with Yugi & the geek squad. Although in the past, he repeated that he didn't believe in "the hocus pocus mind tricks" & "destiny", he's accepted it all after coming back from the afterlife dimension. He reminisced about his last duel with Atem, which he nearly died for, how Mokuba had cried his heart out when he returned from the afterlife with Yugi behind him, & how Wheeler (of all people) pestered him to no end about 'Live the life you have now instead of dying for something that is completely worthless'. He accepted it all after returning to this life.

He may not have let it be publicly known, but within their remaining gang of 'friends', he accepted that magic does exist, that destinies are part of who you are today, & that there are those few that actually belong in your life. In this case, Téa belonged with him in every lifetime. Even if he didn't fully believe in the whole destiny & incarnation thing, he's Seto Kaiba & Seto Kaiba always goes after what he wants. What he wanted was Téa Gardner & he was going to make sure of that. She belonged to him, as he belonged to her. In every lifetime.

* * *

 _ **Memfis, Ancient Egypt**_

 _ **3000 B.C.**_

In the golden sands of Egypt. Back in the palace of the Pharaoh. Well, of the former Pharaoh, his dear cousin Atem. He never felt like the palace belonged to him since part of his childhood, he wasn't living there after his late father, Akhnadin, had left him & his mother to go help forge the millenium items. Even after Atem had given the throne to him as his successor & passed on into the afterlife after losing his duel with his incarnation, Priest Seto couldn't help but wonder how he & his own incarnation can be so completely different, yet exactly the same as a person. He caught glimpses of him when Atem's incarnation, Yugi, & his friends had been warped into Egypt. They all left together as well.

Who could've known that his future self had to witness all that occurred within this land. His supposed home, his family, his former love Kisara, & the last of the destructive battle with Zorc & Bakura. Priest Seto, after seeing who Seto Kaiba is, silently prayed to the Gods that his incarnation would have a different future with positive outcomes. Oh, how wrong he slightly was.

He turned towards the sound of footsteps from behind him & saw two of his viziers walking towards him. Priestess Isis & his 'newfound' grandfather Shimon. Wily as he was & quite the comical one of his viziers, Seto was quite glad that he didn't inherit the odd genetics of spiky hair & midget height that somehow ran in his family bloodline. It didn't make sense considering his father & his late uncle, Akhnemkhanen, even the late queen herself, were all tall! He let the thoughts be gone from his mind & turned the rest of his body facing them. He nodded his head towards them both.

Isis speaks first. "My Pharaoh, the plans are all underway for Atem's tomb to be prepared. Are you sure that you are still willing to go through with this? He was your cousin, after all, Seto."

"She is right, Seto. Our lands are being rebuilt under your orders, & our kingdom is in safe hands after Zorc's destruction. But erasing Atem's existence from our records is beyond impossible & ridiculous. He is not a ruler from another kingdom or land. He was our Pharaoh. Our family. He is your blood cousin. Why not let our future generations know of him?" Shimon questioned.

Seto closed his eyes for a second before reopening them to state his reasons. "I need his namesake to be erased from our records for future purposes. I've seen the millenium puzzle end up in the right hands for the sake of our futures. It must be done this way, therefore in the end, Atem rests in peace in the afterlife. His future incarnate shall receive the millennium puzzle & solve the pieces in order to unlock the memories of our former Pharaoh. Do not dread this decision, Shimon. All will turn out very well in the end for your grandson."

Shimon looks at Seto skeptically, "As you say so, Seto. Atem will remain as the Nameless Pharaoh. But remember, my young grandson, that doesn't mean he will be forgotten among our growing family."

Seto raised a brow at this, "...Growing family….?" He was having an odd time just learning of his royal family as his own blood, let alone still referring to his vizier by his name rather than 'grandfather'. But growing? He was just handed the throne by his own cousin, who departed quickly after that, without even consulting with Seto himself. Now his only blood relative is mentioning of growing a family. He was the only heir left. Unless….

"Yes, my Pharaoh, Atem shall not be forgotten among your future heirs. In light of his departure, he was to be preparing for his other duties after gaining his throne. Including the preparations for his marriage. But as fate would have it, his duties are now passed onto you, Seto. This is why we are here. As your plans are underway for Atem's tomb, we must also begin the preparations for your marriage." Isis stated.

Seto looked at Isis in shock. He was starting to think the Gods are out to get him, one after another. Not only is he Pharaoh now, but he has to get married right away? He began to think that life as a Priest was so much better than this & less of a hassle. ' _I can't be here….I can't get married. ….Atem…. He better not have done this to escape his duties!'_ He turned his body away from his viziers & looked through the balcony at the afternoon sun casting it's rays over the kingdom. He wasn't prepared for all of this at all. He was prepared for life as a Priest under Atem's wing. But not as a Pharaoh with Atem gone from this world & him to rule over this kingdom. His mind started to numb as Isis spoke her next words.

"Seto, I know that none of us were prepared for all these changes. But it has happened. We must go on, we must move on, & at some point, you have to as well." Her eyes started tearing. All of the deaths that had happened in Zorc's destruction. Mahad, Karim, Akhnadin, Atem, Kisara.. She knew she had struck a nerve when she mentioned this entire topic, but she didn't dare try to voice it. She knew it was too soon for Seto to even let anyone in his life like that, after having to see his first love sacrifice herself for him. Kisara, who was known to have such a powerful Ka residing in her, a Ka of pure light, was feared by many in Egypt just for that knowledge. But instead of anyone looking at it in the positive, she was bullied throughout her lifetime, Seto being the only exception who was kind to her in the past, by everyone who crossed her path. It was truly heartbreaking to see someone who had a pure light about herself be gone from the world too soon. Her heart hurt for Seto as she looked at his back, tears rolling down her face. Tragic as may be, Seto was still lucky enough to have full rights & ownership of Kisara's Ka, as those were her last words before she died. He had the power over the most powerful & beautiful Ka of light, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Isis continued, though her voice was broken. "Please Seto...You are all we have left. Just carefully think this over…."

Seto & Shimon heard the underlying sadness in her voice. Seto never had the chance to grieve properly for Kisara. He still didn't think he had enough time to mourn his love. He felt her inherited power from her Ka. But he couldn't feel the light of happiness like he previously experienced before her death. How was he to go on into a marriage without being able to experience long term love? His mother was killed in the village raid by thieves who had imprisoned Kisara. He didn't live the joys of having a father as he grew into his adulthood. The very love he reunited with, after years of helping her escape, was taken from him too soon. Where was he going to experience the dynamic of family & love? From anyone around him, his kingdom, let alone a stranger?

As he kept thinking, Shimon spoke again. "You may grieve for the departed as you see fit, Seto. But we must continue. You have a few days to sort out your thoughts for the future, but you must also journey out of our kingdom to meet with your bride." Seto perked his ears up at this. Shimon continued, "Her royal highness awaits for your arrival, so you should be on your journey soon enough."

Seto turned his body towards Isis & Shimon, then spoke. "A few days? Surely, you must be mistaken that all these decisions be made in the wake of all this madness & destruction? Isis, was this bride decided on a final answer when Atem was still here?"

Isis looked up at his questioning gaze. "No. She wasn't unless a catastrophic event would occur. And it happened. Atem is no longer here, & as with you as his successor, she is your intended bride. So you must depart within a few days to meet her & bring her back here on your returning journey, Seto."

Seto started to feel numb & his body felt tight, though his new blue & white robes were loosely fit on his lean muscular build. Frustration started to seep through his head down to his feet. All he could've hoped for in this lifetime was for Kisara to come back & age through time with her by his side. But she was gone. She wasn't going to come back. She wasn't sent into the darkness like some others. She was killed right in front of him because she sacrificed her life when Zorc made the move to attack him with his fatal blow. She was never going to be able to return to this world. And that had hurt a lot. Seto may have matured into a skilled, intelligent, stoic, & reserved young man. But he was still human. He still felt feelings. He still had a heart beating under that muscular chest. He trained himself to not give in to his feelings of attachments since childhood. Kisara had came & changed that, but he was still left with no one that he truly cared about. He wanted to retire to his chamber as he felt like he was going to pass out. So he asked the next two questions before making his move to leave. "When do I depart on this journey?"

Isis answered, having calmed down on her tears, "You must leave in seven days, Seto. I'll see to it that your belongings for travel are prepared."

Seto asked his last question. "And where must I journey to, for my intended bride?"

Shimon had placed a half-hearted smile on his aging face answering Seto's last question. "You, my grandson, our present Pharaoh, will journey towards the land of the Mediterranean. To Greece." & with that, Pharaoh Seto walked out of the room & left for his chamber.


	2. Chapter 2: City Blues

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

Hiiii! I apologize to all my readers for not updating lately! :( These past 2 months have been crazy with the holidays since December til now & so many events with holiday parties, friends' weddings, & baby showers, work, babysitting, errands, etc. I sincerely do apologize! This chapter will be longer than my previous one & will follow another perspective. **I'm also adding in *My OC*, Elena Shadowze, pronounced as El-Lay-Na Shad-Ohz (English) / Shah-Doh-Zeh (Farsi Persian), to this chapter as well.** I have designed her in my artwork as well as included her in my other Fanfiction, which I will later upload today which will be listed under **Final Fantasy VIII**!

 **Chapters 3 & 4 for Shades Of Blue** will also be added later today after I finally get some sleep & revise my editing (it's 6am right now New York time)! I might change this current Fanfiction as a crossover later on, as it will lead towards my other story that will succeed this one in the end. It will be a very different crossover & I'll definitely adapt the future characters & chapters to blend with our current reality & world. The music track used in this chapter is **"Miles Away" by DJ Goja**. I would highly appreciate it if I don't get flamed for this as it is "Fanfiction"... This is my life motto I'm trying to follow after my severe depression the past few years & I hope you can enjoy my work as I go on along the way. **"I keep calm by throwing all of my intense feelings to create art in any form with a cup of coffee nearby." -Written by me as well :)**

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, theme, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

' _Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

 _Songs/Translations_

 _ **Location/Date/Time**_

" **Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 2: City Blues**

 _ **New York City, New York, United States**_

 _ **May 4th, 2018, 3:45pm**_

Music played loud throughout the dance studio, the house techno vibrating through the speakers, the lyrics flowing into her every move. Long, silky, chocolate brown hair flying around her. Legs & arms moving languidly every few beats of DJ Goja's track. She turned with her next move, finally looking at her reflection in the mirror again & bright, warm azure eyes looked right back at her.

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

She arrived at the dance studio inside the gym to work out some of her stress & resentment, after finishing her third to last final exam for her final semester. Graduation is coming up in less than two weeks for her Undergrad & she can finally stop stressing about college coursework for the duration of summer vacation for once. Four years have passed by & she barely gave herself a break to see any of her old friends back home in Japan. There were always the occasional phone calls, long iMessage group chats, & FaceTime sessions every couple of months, even some indication of life made a rare occurrence on her social media. But she was still a bit mad at herself for not being able to go back home for a whole summer like she wanted to.

 _Looking back on us_

 _It was tender love, It was tender love_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _Looking back on us_

 _Oh when I get that_

 _But we'll never get back that tender love_

She was able to go on short vacations with her roommate, who was really a great planner with finding vacation packages on very low budget deals, to many destinations. But none would come up with a great package towards Japan. And most of the time, she would take too many courses during her long normal breaks, including online classes, winter semesters, summer semesters, & certified/licensing courses for her double major that she could barely go away for so long with her adventurous roommate. She did her best in dancing with all her passion, but always knew in the back of her mind that if anything were to go wrong, she'd had to have another passion waiting for her as well. So with her saved inheritance with reaching the legal age of 18 almost four years ago, & scholarships combined with her work wages, she was able to have enough covered for a dual degree along with a lot saved over for her own personal expenses. For both dancing & for nursing. The last four years have taken a huge toll on her, but she finally made it through for her dual bachelor's degrees.

 _Lately, I know that I've been missing_

 _MIA, Been tripping over wires I laid to save me_

 _But I'm foolish, tried so hard not to screw this_

 _Never thought that it was okay_

 _Just to say I needed you_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

She twirled around before dropping flawlessly on the dance floor on her knees with her legs spread outward & leaning back in an almost floating position. Letting the beat control her fluid movements, she swayed her hips in her leaned back position & slowly started lifting her body upwards again. Moving her right leg upward, she turned right, & pulled her body upwards to a standing position. Whipping her long hair back behind her & raising her arms up above her head, she took a quick deep breath before swaying to the song again. Catching her own azure eyes looking back at her again in the mirror. Though her body is moving with the song, her thoughts are moving nonstop with visions of someone who has the same azure eyes as she does, but more cold, cautious, & untrusting of the world. Someone who's same cold azure eyes have haunted her dreams & thoughts the past several months.

 _From all the things you gave to me_

 _I saw the light and now I see_

 _I won't walk the path you laid for me,_

 _From all the things you gave to me_

 _I saw the light and now I see_

 _I won't walk the path you laid for me_

 _(I needed you)_

Funny thing that these dreams portray someone she knows of in this lifetime. Someone who she's seen now & in his past lifetime. But what she never knew was that she had a past of herself being with this person. It would confuse her thoughts when she wasn't thinking about school or work or staying alert during her mini getaways. It went as far as her waking up in cold sweat in shock, and at other times, in lust. Shock for who she knew it was in her dreams, but lust because of the endless love & passionate desire he held only for her in their past lifetime. She would wake up craving for that man because he was flawed & perfect in every way, but lived with the fact that said man was not the same way in her reality.

 _Lately, I know that I've been missing_

 _MIA, Been tripping over wires I laid to save me_

 _But I'm foolish, tried so hard not to screw this_

 _Never thought that it was okay_

 _Just to say I needed you_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

If she were to ever tell her friends back home about it, most would have likely laughed at the thought that the past self of today's "Ice Prince" was actually warm & kind in another lifetime. She never spoke about it to anyone but her roommate. But she did often ask her old friends about how he is doing as well as his brother. The world had changed a lot in the past four years, but in some ways, even everyone else had changed back home, including him supposedly. She couldn't help but feel resentment at not being able to witness that with her eyes & be there physically. She knew they would never drop her just because her schedule was so busy, but she felt completely left out. She missed having fun adventures with them & missing out on their visits in the states that would fall within the same timeframe she was so backed up on. They were always still there, and yet, they weren't. If it hadn't been for her roommate of four years, she would've felt more anxiety and depression from dealing with a new life in America alone.

 _Our voices will be heard_

 _Our arms are up and we're back undefeated_

 _(Undefeated, Undefeated, Undefeated, Undefeated)_

' _Cause when we feel this burning in our hearts_

 _We feel it in our souls,_

 _Oh, in our souls_

 _Our voices will be heard,_

 _Our voices will be heard,_

 _(Will be heard, Will be heard)_

 _Our voices (Never thought that it was okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _But you're miles away, miles away_

 _(Never thought that it was okay, okay, okay)_

 _When you're miles away, you're miles away_

As the song came to a close, she backed up near the wall where she set her bag down earlier & dropped to the floor. Trying to calm her breathing down, she started to take sips of her water from her bottle and leaned back against the wall. She started thinking about her dreams again. ' _Why are you invading my thoughts for? You are the same soul, but different person in this lifetime. What are you searching for within me? You don't believe in destiny in our time now but your soul shows me otherwise when I fall asleep. What are you really looking for?'_ While she mused on her thoughts, she didn't hear the door to the studio open. Or the lightweight footsteps walking towards her.

"Either you're thinking about eating deep moist fudge cake with berries & white icing drizzle on top or it's about the Ice Prince's past incarnate eating you out. You look like you're about to have an orgasm."

Queen of sarcasm is here. ' _How did I not hear her come in?!'_ She turned her to her right. & looked at the Persian beauty in front of her. "Haha, I really hate you for the next 10 minutes, Elena." She sweatdropped.

Elena eyed the Japanese dancer in front of her with a playful gaze. "Why, I love you too, Téa darling! Now hurry up & shower while you hate me. I'm craving for Martha's Bakery & a certain red velvet cake is calling my name."

Téa smiled, "Hmmm, talk about more orgasms. I have to still fit into my graduation dress, you know. I keep dancing & working out to keep off the weight. Then here you go trying to get me fat. How did I survive these last four years being your roommate & you never once get fat from everything you eat? What do I do with you, Elena?"

Elena placed her hands behind herself sideways towards Téa. "Oh that's easy. Your Ice Prince gives you more orgasms in your sleep than I do talking about food. I have to feed you because I love keeping your love parts looking juicy, especially now that you actually do have a Person of Interest! ANNNDDDDDDD all the food I eat goes to my melons & my peach while I do workouts half the time as you. You can also take me to Japan with you now that school is over for Undergrad!" Elena moved her hands to slap her own butt for emphasis on the 'peach' & turned her mouth into a cheesy smile towards her lovely roommate. "I can't wait to finally visit all over the country with you!"

Téa got up from the floor & faced the studio's mirrors. She smiled knowing Elena was right. Her body had formed very voluptuously in the past four years & couldn't help but smirk seeing her love parts looked very full & perky. ' _She is right. My boobs & my butt really look nice like this. I really am starting to look exactly like Teana. She was so regal & looked very beautiful.'_ Musing back on her thoughts about her past self, she compared their looks. Everything was starting to look more like Teana. Her hair was really long now down to her very lower back just like how the Greek Princess's was, her skin had a healthy warm tone to it now instead of being pale like it used to. Her boobs & butt were fuller, waist was still thin & small, hips widened out more & thighs have thickened up enough to support the weight in her butt. She loved her hourglass figure & couldn't help but admire the Greek Princess of her past.

"Ahem. Ahem. The cake is still calling my name!" Elena reminded her. Téa looked at her friend & then sighed. She picked up her bag & bottle then headed out to the bathroom suite to shower off the sweat. ' _She never gives up. The girl can really eat. She's still a virgin and yet eats like a pregnant woman who's having twins or triplets!_ She looked over her friend once more while they walked towards the bathroom suite. Elena was a real natural beauty. Nothing being done to her face or body unlike other females who have accused her of getting plastic surgery. No one knew Elena's history better than Téa & she could always put the snide rumors to rest with ease. Elena had a very universal look to her to the point where you can't even figure where her origins are from. Icy gray orbs inside of catlike almond shaped eyes & full thick dark lashes framing them. Very full lips & soft chai colored skin that both men & women alike want to kiss. Extremely long dark brown hair down to her butt that reminds you of coffee flowing out of a fresh brewed pot. Elena's body was even curvy & hourglass shaped like Téa's but even more full, & she was only one inch shorter than Téa being at 5'3" inches. Téa laughed sometimes at Elena for complaining half the time about her boobs since they were too huge for her body, that her spine hurts to support them & that Elena always had to buy 36DDD bras that were hard to find in most stores except Victoria's Secret.

Sensing eyes watching her, Elena looked at Téa & asked, "What's wrong, hun?"

Téa knew this would lead to a complicated subject, but she asked anyway. "How are you still single? I'm surprised you of all people still don't have a boyfriend. I'm really not trying to sound like an 'Aunty' but seriously. You're an amazing person & no one has taken your heart yet."

"Well, 'Aunty' Téa, men that are in our age group don't want to be tied down & committed to only one woman in this millennial age. So sadly, as much as I'd actually like to give you a brother-in-law that you can make fun of, they all want to be manwhores at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I still want to have someone that I want to fall in love with, get married to him, pop the 'cherry', & maybe give you several nieces & nephews to spoil. As cliché as everything sounds, I still want the beautiful tradition. But I honestly don't know how well that will really play out. Only god knows." She faced forward & opened the door to the girl's bathroom suite. "I'll sit here & wait. Now get cleaned up so I can eat cake & drink cappuccinos while we talk about how you can finally get to be with your icy soulmate!" She sat down at the vanity area. Téa sweatdropped again & felt her cheeks flush, then walked to the shower stalls. Stripping all of her clothes off, taking her towel & shower bottles, she entered the stall & turned the water on to a very warm setting. She felt relieved once the warm water touched her body. She hears Elena start to play music from her iPhone, which helps her mood.

' _This feels so good right now. Just one more final exam tomorrow, then graduation is coming up, & I'm finally done! Then I can start thinking about booking our flight tickets to Japan. I can't wait. She finally gets to come with me to see it in person. I'll introduce her to everyone & get to show her around. Maybe she might find someone there too.'_ Téa starts scrubbing her body with Dove, the pomegranate & lemon scents filling her senses, & then finishes off with OGX coconut milk shampoo & conditioner on her hair. Quickly getting back under the water, she let it wash the soaps & toxins away, & finished her shower. After toweling herself dry & combing her hair, she puts her lounge clothes on, which consisted of a 'off the shoulder' long sleeve beige shirt, light blue Colombian jeans, & casual beige TOMS. "I'm ready to go."

Elena sighs in bliss. "Finally! Some good dessert in this rain!" Téa grabbed her stuff, as well as Elena, & headed out of the bathroom suite. Elena tapped for an uber for both of them & waited in the front lobby. "Do you get a fluttering feeling in your stomach?"

"A little bit, sort of. Why, do you?" Téa asked.

"I do. It's really mixed but it's there. There's going to be a lot of changes & I feel like they're going to be huge that either of us could be able to handle. I don't know, but I really hope it's going to be for the better. I don't want to get an anxiety attack right now, but it's coming full blown at me." Elena explained.

Téa laughed & responded, "I think you need to drink tea instead of any type of coffee. The last thing I would want in this rainy weather is for you to overthink while you're eating. So no overthinking, got it?!"

"Ok, Ok, no overthinking." Elena's iPhone pings. "Uber arrived. Let's go." And thus, the two best friends go to their destination for desserts & talk about plans for their Japan adventure while on the road. Elena leaned her head on Téa's shoulder. "Do you think I'll ever find my brunette, blue eyed Persian prince in this lifetime?"

Tea leaned her own head on top of Elena's, "I think you will. You've dreamed of it forever & you still wait. I believe you'll find him. It might not be here, but it'll definitely be somewhere in another part of the world."

Elena giggled. "Imagine if I find him in Japan? How weird would it be that we'd both end up having blue eyed brunette guys?"

"It's a possibility. Although I hope yours would be friendlier from waaaayyyyy long ago. It'd be weird if both are the same lone wolf, cold-hearted, closed off type of guys." Téa wondered.

"I find it sexy to be honest. I'd really like that. Being mysterious is actually really sexy. Like imagine. Both are like that, but underneath all of that is a beast full of desire that just wants to give you all of their light & love that no one else in the world gets to experience. I would find it beautiful." Elena has that dreamy look in her eyes & Téa agreed.

"It would be beautiful." Then smiled. "If Priest Seto was like that, then I have high hopes in my heart that Seto Kaiba does too. He's very affectionate & loving to his younger brother, Mokuba. He & I have even gotten into little arguments & spats from time to time, but we've even saved each other during rare difficult moments. I ran towards Yami to stop the duel on top of Pegasus' castle when Seto was willing to commit suicide for Mokuba's soul getting trapped. Then Yugi switched back to his body to halt Celtic Guardian from attacking. Then there was Seto calling his helicopter from letting the shipment crate from crushing me dead during Battle City a couple of months after that. Next was during Noah's virtual world, & after that was how we always randomly stood next to each other no matter where we seemed to go. I didn't realize it at those times how close we always would be next to each other during those moments, but he was literally always close. Yugi sometimes mentions to me that I'm literally the only girl that ever stands up to Seto & never takes his shit. I hope I still am the only girl nowadays."

"Good! It's best to never take anyone's shit. I hope you guys end up together in the end. Not only because you'll be a beautiful couple together, but also because you're his opposite & you guys really complete each other." Elena closed her eyes & pictured the two together. "Just beautiful". Téa couldn't agree more.

* * *

 _ **Krete, Ancient Greece**_

 _ **3000 B.C.**_

King Alexandrios rubbed his temples, after hearing news from Egypt. Despite knowing what had occurred from across the sea, he still had to perform his duty as a father & ruler by getting his daughter betrothed in order to merge both kingdoms. Krete will become one with Memfis once Teana marries the new pharaoh of Egypt. But how can he tell her that it is not to the one that she had knowledge of already? ' _How do I tell Teana that Pharaoh Atem has passed to the afterlife? She was already aware of who he was recently. But she does not know of the High Priest Seto. I must tell her soon before his arrival in Krete.'_ He looked over to his messenger, Stavros, a young lad who recently joined his court after his studies were completed. "Where are my daughters Teana & Athena, Stavros?"

Stavros answered his King, "Last I checked, my king, they were in the garden near the statues of the Goddesses."

"Bring them here, please, if you will. I must tell them of the news. Teana must know of this before the new Pharaoh's arrival upon reaching Krete." Alexandrios requested.

Stavros bowed, "Yes, my king." He left the throne room & went to the gardens to look for the princesses. As he walked along the cobblestone pathway, he even mused on the news he received. ' _I am very surprised Pharaoh Atem has passed in such a short time. His father was very renowned even among the kingdom of Krete. Now his High Priest & cousin is the new Pharaoh. I wonder how their kingdom will progress. I've heard many things about the High Priest, but this is very sudden news. Now he will be the one to marry Princess Teana. I wonder how she will feel about this?'_ He heard female voices & looked over the bronze gate that separated the pathways into the garden. Spotting both of the princesses conversing among the caretakers, his thoughts went back to his king. Knowing it's going to be one less family member, he knew his king would become crestfallen after Teana departs overseas to Egypt to get married to Pharaoh Seto. And then there's Athena, who won't have her older sister with her anymore. ' _It's going to be very gloomy around here after Teana leaves. Everyone, especially her father, will miss her so much when she leaves Greece.'_

After King Alexandrios' wife, Queen Talia had passed seven years ago when Teana & Athena were still children, he became very heartbroken & had become very ill for two years after her death. Not a day goes by that they don't honor her memory. King Alexandrios never even remarried after Talia passed. She was very beautiful & all three of her children had taken some resemblance of their late mother, as well as their father. Teana & Athena had taken their mother's heart shaped face & long chocolate brown hair, but Teana's was straight like her father's & Athena had soft curls like her mother. Their older brother, Thalios, was the spitting image of their father, with a very rigid masculine face, fully bearded, & straight black hair, but had inherited jade green eyes from their mother along with Athena while Teana inherited their father's azure blue eyes. By the grace of the gods, all three children were born healthy & safely. But even before Talia passed on her deathbed from hemorrhaging, she vowed to her children that they would not fare the same way as she did. That they would live their days in good health & prosper.

Stavros reached the girls & brought his attention upon them. "Princess Teana, Princess Athena, my king awaits your presence in the hall. He has urgent matters to discuss with you. News has come from across the sea from Egypt. Please follow me."

Teana & Athena looked at each other wondering what could be so urgent all of a sudden & why from Egypt. Athena whispered to Teana while both stood up from the stone bench to walk back into the hall. "Stavros doesn't look happy when he said that. You don't think that Pharaoh Atem is voiding the decision to marry you, do you? He hasn't even seen you yet. He can't do such a thing once he sees you, sister!"

Teana grimaced, "I don't think that is the problem here, Athena. The Pharaoh couldn't void a marriage just based upon not knowing who I am or how I look. I'm sure it's something else. Father will tell us." Teana looked straight ahead while Athena sighed. She's heard little about the Pharaoh of Egypt. He was only recently crowned as successor & was about the same age as her. She's also been told that he had an odd hairstyle where his had stood like wide spears coming out of his head & in three different colors. While the rest of people in Egypt had their hair cast down, tied up, or clean shaven. Maybe the Gods of Egypt wanted something different for their crowned king. As they were walking, Teana felt the breeze of the Mediterranean sea whirl around her. ' _I wonder if the weather is as good in Egypt as it is here? There are tales about them having sandy deserts & the sun blazes hot like the depths of hell. But if that were the case, no one could survive properly over there. I shouldn't give too much thought. It seems like everyone around here makes everything else outside of Greece look worse than Hades in Hell.'_

At last, Stavros & the princesses of Krete arrived in the hall where their king was waiting for them. Stavros announced their arrival, bringing Alexandrios out of his conversation with one of his court members. "My king, your daughters have arrived." Stavros moves to the left where the other servants stood on standby. Alexandrios takes in a deep breath before turning his whole body towards his daughters.

"My children, I am sure Stavros has made you aware that there are matters to discuss over here?" He didn't falter in his gaze. Both Teana & Athena stood straight & nodded their heads in understanding. "Very well, I shall continue. It was planned that Teana would be betrothed to Pharaoh Atem once he was crowned as successor from his father & that she would embark on her voyage across the sea to the land of Egypt." Both girls still looked sternly at their father. "Teana, my precious girl, I am afraid I have some disconcerting news for you." Teana's eyebrows furrowed. "It has come to my attention that Pharaoh Atem has passed into the afterlife."

Her eyes widened at the shocking news. "Father, the pharaoh has passed from this world? How….. How can this be?" Athena was equally as shocked as her older sister. She placed a comforting hand on Teana's to assure that she was there by her side. "Am I not meant to be betrothed anymore?"

Alexandrios stepped off his throne & walked directly in front of his daughters, standing at arm's length distance. "My dearest, I know this is very unexpected news coming from Egypt. But I assure you, it is not your fault in this matter. There was a war amongst their own land & they all fought bravely, reigning victorious in the end. But the Pharaoh has passed to be at peace & conceal the dark war that was brought upon them. He appointed his High Priest & fellow blood cousin as his successor." He softened his gaze for his next choice of words. "You are still going to cross the sea to be betrothed, but just not to the late Pharaoh."

Athena chose to speak next. "But father, who will my sister marry if the one she was meant to marry has gone to the afterlife?" Teana held onto her sister's hand tighter. Cheeks flustered & heart pounding, she remained quiet to hear her father speak.

"Teana will marry the new Pharaoh, former High Priest Seto. He has obtained all of his former's duties once he received the throne. I know you were expecting Atem to come to our kingdom to claim your hand & be on your way to theirs. But Pharaoh Seto shall come in his place now to take your hand. He will arrive in a few days time. So you must prepare for your voyage, my dearest." Alexandrios placed a hand on Teana's left cheek.

Teana didn't show fear, but her heart had felt it. "Father, I have such a short time to prepare. I don't know how I can be content with the fact that I will marry someone I have no knowledge of. Who is it to say that he is a noble man from the heart? Will my safety be assured for eternity once I become his bride? How can I leave everything behind & adjust to a new life in a new land?" Her eyes faltered & started to get wet from frustration. Alexandrios brought Teana closer & held her in his arms. He knew Teana wouldn't take it well knowing she would marry a complete stranger that she knew nothing of at all. Athena looked at her sister's form with sadness seeping from her own heart.

"It will not be an easy endeavor to adjust to. But I know of the High Priest's reputation. He is a very noble man in knowledge & he has never once shunned his kingdom. I may not know of his very personal nature, but he is a very guarded young man with his head held high. You will not fall into the wrong hands, my daughter. I promised to your mother that all of my children shall live their lives in peace, & I will see to it til my last breath that you all will. Do not fret or fear this change, Teana. Embrace it. Even if it means there are obstacles in your path, embrace it slowly." Alexandrios held both of his daughters in his arms. He can only be strong for so long, for Talia, for his children, for his kingdom. But he is human. He let the tears fall from his eyes & held the girls tighter. In a short time, Teana will leave her home with Seto & he won't know if this will be the last time he ever sees or holds Teana again. Stavros & the court looked on at their king & the princesses, hearts hurting. In a few days, Princess Teana will leave her homeland of Greece, her kingdom of Krete, to become the next reigning Queen of Egypt, right beside Pharaoh Seto.


	3. Chapter 3: Morning Dew Blue

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

I apologize again for not keeping up like I mentioned in my last chapter. This was something done where I didn't have enough thoughts gathered... I think I lost my muse somewhere in the middle of writing this chapter. There are also two other famous characters I added, outside of Yu-Gi-Oh, into here. Please do tell me if you can still find this story listed under the Yu-Gi-Oh anime on fanfiction or if you had to search through the crossover list. I never wrote a crossover before & I totally forgot how other crossover stories (that I've read) look like listed on fanfiction... I think I rushed writing this, but I really lost my muse.. I really wanted to bring these new characters in subtly somehow without throwing them in your face later on in later chapters. Hope you like!

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, theme, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

' _Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

 _Songs/Translations_

 _ **Location/Date/Time**_

" **Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 3: Morning Dew Blue**

 _ **Domino City, Tokyo, Japan**_

 _ **May 8th, 2018, 8:45am**_

Seto arrived that Tuesday morning into Kaiba Corp. donned in a light blue EXPRESS suit paired with a bright white dress shirt & royal blue tie, with every intention to get all of his work done as soon as possible before friday. He needed to get to New York as fast as he could. After Roland pulled up files that Téa's graduation would come soon, he thought of visiting her before it would happen. But he had to tie up loose ends for the next two weeks in Domino before he left. After setting down the files on his desk, he went to the cafe room on his floor to get his daily dose of caffeine. As he was about to reach for his cup, he heard a familiar Brooklyn accent making its way towards this room.

"Tristan, I swear dis exam is gonna be da end of my life! I gotta ace it. If I don't, den everything's done for, man!" Joey Wheeler yelled coming in, with his longtime friend, Tristan Taylor, behind him.

"Joey, stop being dramatic. It's not going to be the end of the world. It's just a final exam. You act like you're going to go into cardiac arrest if you fail." Tristan tried to calm him down.

Seto looked at both wondering if they even realized he was in the room already. 'Leave it to Wheeler to be so dramatic over an exam that won't matter in five more years. Or even five minutes after knowing his grade.' He decided to make himself known since they wouldn't stop the early morning debate if he'll fail or pass. "Wheeler, stop being so fucking loud over an exam this early. You have three hours left to go."

Both Joey & Tristan shrieked at the same time, wondering when did Kaiba come in to the building. "GYAHH! When the hell did you get here? Why are you even here right now?!"

Seto sweatdropped. "How many times do I have to explain that I can come & go whenever I want?"

Tristan pushed Joey off from their mid-shriek hugging..& dropped him on the floor. "We know, but we'd thought you wouldn't be here til 9 or 9:30 for Mokuba's meeting about the Commander. Which by the way, did you tell him yet?"

"No…. Not yet.." Seto turned back to his coffee & started filling it to the brim.

"Whaaat? Come on Kaiba. He shoulda known by now about ya plans to get him to 'military school'. Kid's gonna freak out wit da bomb you lay on him outta nowhere." Joey fixed his suit after getting off the floor.

"As long as he doesn't freak out like you, I can deal with his reaction. He needs to get some discipline down after the few mishaps he's had at Domino High." Seto grimaced at the flashbacks of his little brother's behavior throughout his high school years. When & where did Mokuba learn to become a partying playboy so early? Why couldn't his little brother be cute & forever 12-13 years old when he had behaved way better?

Tristan came up next to him to start his coffee & turned the settings to vanilla cappuccino. "Ya know Kaiba, he's not as totally bad like the rest of the kids at high school. It's not like Mokuba's sold drugs on the black market in the streets or even stole anything huge or went to jail. He just threw a lot of parties, which is what most high school kids do."

"Taylor, that still doesn't excuse him. Especially since he's posted so much on his instagram & snapchat! Which, might I add, are both public. & he's the VP of Kaiba Corp. Do you know how much this will ruin our image? Wheeler, step away from the sugar!" He turned to Joey who was about to take the entire sugar canister to dump in his empty cup. "You're not taking that much sugar for that stupid exam. You'll go into cardiac arrest before entering the room."

Joey whimpered while Seto took the sugar canister away from him.

"You wonder why Kaiba keeps calling you a dog when you act like one most of the time & sound like one." Tristan peeked from behind. That earned a smirk from Seto.

Joey was flustered in annoyance. "EYY! I'm not a dog nor do I act like one."

"Then stop whimpering like one & calm down." Seto went to take his coffee & lean against the counter til they both got their cups done so that he can go into his office again. "None of us even had so much time to even party like that when we were in high school due to all the freaks chasing after us. So there's a huge difference between our time & his."

Tristan continued his point. "Ok. So you haven't told him yet. But you think he'll just listen & go after his graduation is finished? I don't know Kaiba. He might just want to live for the little time left in his adolescence."

Seto responded, "I'm not trying to give him a choice, Taylor. He needs to calm down. His 19th birthday is coming up & he needs to start acting like an adult. It's the real world after high school. He needs to grow up now. He also needs to learn how to use spells & weapons so that anyone can stop bothering to kidnap him every now & then…." He felt his iPhone vibrate with a snapchat notification. -'Snapchat from sleonhart823'-

Seto slides the notification open & views it. Apparently the Commander made it back in time for the meeting to happen. 'Perfect. He's here.' Now one less thing to worry about, he turned his attention back on the two. "Let's go before you have to leave for the exam." The two followed him back into his office, passing the morning secretary, Rosalie Cromwell, with a greeting. After closing Seto's office door behind them, they started getting down to business.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here, but you're most likely sending Noah over there too?" Tristan asked.

Seto finally sat at his desk. "He can only go if he passes the physical exam. He's been doing well since he's gotten back. But you never know." Tristan looked at him with concern & Joey looked down at his coffee. Both knew after Seto came back from the afterlife, he had done some crazy things within a whole year that not a lot of people would do for someone his age. After accepting magic & his own ancient powers into his life, as well as seeing magic & so much more around him in his travels, he created a lot of projects. His first one after the duel dimension, was to bring Noah back, which he succeeded in.

Bringing Noah's mind back to his body was the easy part. But he still had to go through so many surgeries & physical therapy in rehab just to get his body moving back to life after all these years of immobility. It was a miracle to bring back your own step brother to the real world. Although Noah felt weird because he was still four years younger than Seto in physical body, but the same age as him when you technically count it from his birth. But Noah was glad to be back into the real world instead of being stuck in virtual reality. Then Mokuba was really happy to have another brother in physical being with him. But Seto was still surprised Noah wasn't a huge party boy like Mokuba was, even though those two are usually caught together causing pranks & going everywhere attached to the hip.

His own Solid Vision technology had also helped a great deal in getting Noah to function efficiently before, during, & after surgery. So he felt grateful that there were a lot of benefits to it in the positive sense. Joey chose to speak up after the short silence. "Not that I'd actually consider you to be God or anythin' of the sort, but you're doing an amazing job, Kaiba. You were able to come back, as batshit crazy as it sounds to be in the afterlife in the first place. But you even got your other brother back from that virtual hell he was stuck in. Can't get any better than that, coming back alive safe & sound."

Kaiba released a breath he didn't know he was holding listening to Joey. "Thanks Wheeler. Seriously."

"I'm sure he'll be able to join once he's really good to go physically. Although I know you're only sending them there for discipline, as well as self-defense, it might not be too much on Noah if he goes towards the mage route & chooses to do more spells, rather than fight physically." Tristan gave another few words of encouragement. "Besides, I think Selphie & Quistis will let him handle more training with spells instead of weapons first. Hopefully the kid doesn't make something huge like a boat as far as weapons go."

Seto smirked & Joey couldn't keep his laughs in about the silly idea. "Nyeh! Kid might wipe out an entire field of monsters with a huge boat. Wouldn't know an Arc hit 'em til they're squashed. Especially the damn malboro's & tonberries!" All three remember the memory of Joey almost not being able to escape the field practice in one piece. His flaming sword barely scratching the tonberry they stumbled upon & then the malboro petrifying him with it's bad breath. The commander & Seto couldn't stop smacking their foreheads in annoyance that day. Poor Tristan had to be the one to finish the random battle & even carry Joey's petrified body back to the infirmary from the field.

"Aaaahhhhh memories! Hopefully you'll remember to avoid the tonberry & leave them to people who can handle them, Jou." Tristan reminded him.

Of course, Joey gets riled up again. "EEYYY! I already learned my lessons! …...15 of 'em from those creepy toads!"

"Yeah, while me & Tristan only had one lesson & passed. You knew you were supposed to study the field exam guide before even stepping foot in that field." Seto reminded him.

Joey groaned. "Not every one of us has a great photographic memory like you, Kaiba. I go to school, work for ya, study for both Domino & Garden, & then to top it all off, there's Mai! It's a lot, Kaiba!"

Seto laid back in his chair & did sort of feel bad for him. "If I dated Valentine, she alone is a lot & I'd even trade her in for tonberry. But thank god I don't & I never will." He smiled with his eyes closed & hand holding his head.

"Ya damn toad-lover, she's not that bad. & forget Mai! You can't even have the balls to contact Téa yet! But yet, you tell Roland to track her every move! When are ya gonna take your damn leap of faith, Kaiba the toad?!" Joey pointed towards Seto & grinned.

Seto looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Last time I checked, I was the Ice Prince of Domino & Tokyo."

Joey still kept his argument going. "Maybe, & the only one that didn't need to be kissed to turn into one. But ya still act like a damn hermit when it concerns Téa. We know you're gonna leave early to go to New York too! & Don't deny it either!"

Tristan took his chance to intervene this time. "Ok, ok, no need to turn this into a gamble. You'd lose it anyway, Joey." Seto smirked & Joey glared daggers at Tristan. "You might as well take your chance now, Kaiba. She's not gonna wait forever. I'm pretty sure you also don't want her to go for any other guy either. So you better make a move when you arrive there. You don't want Priest Seto to haunt you, do you?"

Seto looked at him. "He wouldn't dare. Besides, he's resting somewhere under a pyramid & nothing but bones right now in his sarcophagus."

"Yeah, but he can still try to haunt you or even roam around in this life just like when Atem did with Yugi." Tristan chided.

"Ughh….Don't remind me." Seto looked to his intercom blinking. "Yes Rosalie?"

"The commander & the prince have arrived, Mr. Kaiba. Shall I send them in?" Seto thought back on it & was surprised on why the killing perfection would arrive on a random moment, though not unusual that they gather in meetings altogether. But right now was very spontaneous & uncalled for. Considering this meeting was about Mokuba & Noah, & not company business. He gave Rosalie a response.

"Yes, Rosalie, send them in. Also, send Mokuba & Noah in without notifying me when they decide to arrive." Of course, of all days that Mokuba could actually and intentionally want to be late, it just had to be today. 'Why today of all days can he be late? & Why hold up Noah along with him?'

Joey decided to sit next to Tristan while Tristan sat next to the head chair at the meeting table inside Seto's office that was only of use to people very close to him. Seto decided to get up from his desk & sit at the head of the head of the table. Seto had implemented that after all the fiascoes they faced in the past, he had to hire a new board of directors (of his own choosing, with Roland's & Fuguta's input) that he solely trusted. Joey & Tristan were two of them on the board, but also were positioned with other jobs that kept them much closer to Kaiba. Soon enough, the door opened, & in walked the two Seto was waiting for.

One was a man of lean, muscular build that filled in the past few years. Standing at 5 feet & 11 inches, with tousled chestnut brown hair like his own, but had ice blue eyes compared to his azure orbs. Surprisingly he came in today with a short sleeve black leather, white deep v-neck shirt, & black jeans instead of his usual long sleeved one with the feather neckline & leather pants. He still donned all his belts, just like Seto himself usually wore with his battle city attire, & had on his griever cross necklace.

The other man, at the height of 6 feet & 2 inches, like Seto & also with a muscular build, had his thigh length silver hair flowing behind him, & looked on with amber gold eyes. Signature marks, famous among the royal Inu blood, graced his facial features with the purple crescent moon & two magenta stripes crossing both sides of cheeks. He came in wearing a white Issey Miyaki business suit, with a light purple dress shirt & white silk tie.

Joey & Tristan greeted them with their good mornings & Seto took this moment to start. "Good morning. Now that we're all here, besides Mokuba & Noah, let's get started with this meeting, Squall & Sesshomaru."

Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden, & Lord Sesshomaru Taisho, one of the prince's of the Inu family & CEO's of Taisho Industries, were Seto's very close business partners. And even over the past few years, became Seto's best friends as well. Though all three had an awkward time getting used to the common term of 'friendship', their actions have long proved otherwise in both the business world & personal as well. Most would call Squall as Seto's long lost brother because of their identical similarities & habits, whereas Sesshomaru had fit due to his cautious personality & cold demeanor to the world but protective to those he cared for.

Squall narrowed his eyes at the three of them, "Good morning to you too. You guys are up to something & it's not about the boys."

Sesshomaru chimed in. "Indeed. Perhaps it has to do with something outside of business & family?" He smirked knowing he can sense Seto's defense barrier spike up. "What is he planning? Or rather, making Roland plan?"

"Not something. Just someone. Good ol' Kaiba here is finally gonna make his move!" Leave it to Joey to open his mouth. "It better be an innocent move too, before I get on dat first flight to New York City to kick your ass." He narrowed his eyes at Seto.

Tristan sweatdropped & Seto didn't hide his annoyance. "Really Wheeler, didn't Valentine train you to keep your mouth shut? Or even put a muzzle on you for having a big mouth?" Seto sipped once more of his coffee before he spoke again. "It's not confirmed & booked yet for New York, just so all four of you know."

Sesshomaru looked skeptically at him. "So you're finally prepared to court Miss Gardner?"

"You make it sound like a mission. I'm not going that far yet…. I've to get to know her first, personally, before anything else happens." Seto replied.

Joey spoke, "Again Kaiba, don't break her heart. She's already been heartbroken once. She don't need another."

"Hopefully she's not like one of those nagging, demanding females that chase you for your wealth. I mean I don't know her personally, and you guys haven't seen her in person for the past few years. So you don't know what could've really changed. Plus she's not the same exact person as she was in her past life." Squall told him.

Tristan spoke up in her defense. "Nahh, no doubt Téa isn't like that. She never was and she wouldn't start now. Only difference is that she was royalty in her past life as Teana, but she's still a kind-hearted soul."

Seto tapped his fingers on the table, annoyed at Yugi for even telling them about their past lives after Seto started having dreams & visions of the past. If Yugi never told them, this conversation wouldn't even be happening about Téa. "Yugi is lucky to be in California right now." He felt irked.

Squall held his hands up. "Alright, we'll talk more about this later, whenever it's confirmed. Now, did you tell Mokuba & Noah about sending them to Balamb yet?" Trying to drop the subject of Téa, he had to get back on the main point of today's meeting.

Seto was about to tell him no, but his office door abruptly opened, with both of his brothers coming in. Mokuba ran in like he ran a mile up a flight of stairs & Noah walking in calmly behind him. "So you were the only one running late, Mokuba."

Mokuba smiled sheepishly at his older brother & waved at all of the occupants in the room. "Hehe….Morning guys! I kinda slept in a bit…."

Noah placed a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, a bit too hard which meant he was annoyed with Mokuba's laziness lately. "Yeah, when you know you're supposed to sleep earlier on a school night." Noah looked at all of them at the table. "So new business deals?"

"Nope. Nothing of the sort." Squall told him.

Noah looked with a concerned look. "So a last vacation with all of you before we go to college then?" Tristan shook his head with a no. "Then what is this meeting for if all of you are here at the same time?"

Seto gave them a strict expression, lips in a straight line, eyebrows slightly arched, as if he was about to ground them. Well, more like ground Mokuba considering Noah is the more calmer one now. "I'm sending you both to Balamb Garden."

Both had their jaws dropped open. "WHAAAAATTTTTT?! WHY?!" Mokuba decided to speak first before Noah. "How come we have to go to Balamb instead of a normal University? There's no wars going on right now."

Seto still kept his stern look. "Mokuba, you know that you really need to change your bad habits that you unfortunately picked up on lately. As well as putting your entire life publically on social media, which needs to stop."

"Chill bro, I'm not that bad!" Mokuba retorted. "You act like I'm on drugs or I'll end up in jail."

"Hmmmm, change my mind when you prove it to me in several months." Seto chided him. "You both are also going there for other reasons as well, besides for Mokuba's juvenile behavior. You both are of age now, to handle adult life. But since you're a Kaiba, you're still under scrutiny & the watchful eyes of competitors."

Noah finally spoke up. "Yeah, & Mokuba is usually the one that gets kidnapped. So again, why am I needed to go when I'm of no use to any of those idiots?"

Sesshomaru decided to make a point, seeing as how this reminded him of his own younger brother. "Really, little one," Noah grew irked at the mention of it since it became Sesshomaru's favorite teasing name for him, "Last I remembered from all the past events, you had also kidnapped your own brothers & his comrades back then while hacking into Seto's technology & subdued their minds in virtual reality because you were looking to escape. Now that you're back, you should be of much help to your brother, & everyone else can see that that alone makes you another target."

Noah arched his brows, "Ok. & your other point to send us there?"

Seto started, "You're going to go learn magic & defense to protect yourselves. We're here but we may not always be there. So you should start to hold your ground if anything were to happen. You both should know better. This world is full of shit."

Squall decided to talk. "In any case, you guys will get training in defense, magic, as well as a normal university education, should you choose to continue your higher education studies at Balamb or even transfer to another university. Your credits will be eligible & you can still even take your own weapons with you. If you choose to not become SeeD, that is fine. Just as long as you meet all training requirements needed to defend yourselves, you should be fine."

Mokuba pondered in his own thoughts. "Ok, I'll go….But on one condition, instead of choosing to run away."

"Ya wouldn't make it kid. You go hidin' anywhere in the world, Icy toad prince over here will drag all of us with him to go find you." Joey reminded him.

"Yeah, I would need your's & the Taisho's noses to go find him, Wheeler."

Joey tried to muster up the dirtiest look he could give Seto. "Kaaaiiiiba…..!"

'Why do they always have to throw remarks against each other at unnecessary moments?' Squall pondered. "Ok what is the condition?"

Mokuba talked away. "I get to dorm with as well as train with Noah & we get to come home on weekends!"

Squall looked at him carefully. "We can work that out. But don't know about training with your brother. He still has to pass his physical exam if you remember. So we're good for the next few months?"

Mokuba & Noah both looked at each other before facing their new commander. "Yes Commander."

"You don't have to start calling me that now. Just wait til you get there." Squall reminded them. He still didn't really like being called commander by people close to him. The title felt odd.

"Good. You two should be ready by the end of June to leave towards Balamb." Seto told them. "Now that that is out of the way, I've to get things of my own out of the way before leaving."

Now curiosity hit both of his younger brothers interests. "LIKE WHAT?!"

"Nothing for you to know." Seto cut the subject short. But before he could get out of his chair, Roland came running in the door.

"Master Kaiba, your flight tickets are booked for New York City to see Miss Gardner." Both of the boys' eyes went wide & they bobbed their heads left & right from Seto to Roland. Seto slapped his forehead knowing his plans are now all out there. & then they screamed. "YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TEA?!"


	4. Chapter 4: Lapis Lazuli

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! **:)** But this chapter does **NOT** contain any form of Citrus whatsoever! **:O** I will have it at some point in this story, but just not at the moment... Patience is a virtue, my readers! ...& a fucking struggle!... **;(** I hope you enjoy this chapter though! **;)**

 **Also:** Some words mentioned in this chapter are in **Arabic**.

 **Habibi:** Darling/Beloved.

 **Noor/Nour:** Light.

 **Ya Rab:** My God/OMG.

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, theme, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

' _Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

 _Songs/Translations_

 _ **Location/Date/Time**_

" **Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 4: Lapis Lazuli**

 _ **Memfis, Ancient Egypt**_

 _ **3000 B.C.**_

Pharaoh Seto lay on his bed in his chambers, deep in slumber. Though his chambers were on the highest floor, away from any unnecessary intrusion should it occur, the breeze from the Nile flowed through his balcony windows & the light from the moon entered inside, illuminating his room in an ethereal glow. Unbeknownst to him, a ghostly ball of white & blue floated through his window & towards his bedside. The ball took form, shaped into a female body, still ghostly with a blue-ish glow around her.

Pale complexion, bright blue eyes, long flowing silver-white hair flowing behind her. Though this time, she was adorned with cream-colored robes, golden head & neck jewelry with blue stones, golden armored empire belt at her waist, & cream-colored gladiator sandals with the same gold color on her anklets & wrist bangles. She looked at Seto's sleeping form with a solemn smile. His face tensed, a frown marring his features, beads of sweat rolling down. She sat down on the left side of his bed, which faced the balcony, & placed her hands on his. She stayed quiet, hoping to calm his tense posture with her touch.

Seto's mind & subconscious was filled with memories of Kisara & her unfortunate demise. It would keep repeating over & over again, no matter how differently the turning points would play out, it was still the same ending. Kisara would come in front of him before he was attacked by the dark fatal blow his possessed late father sent his way & she died in his arms. Even in his sleep, his heart still ached for her to come back into his arms, alive & breathing.

The aches made him groan in pain & his heart felt tight. "Aarrghh…. Ggghhhh….." His breathing became shallow & he wheezed. His free hand came to clutch his chest, where his heart was. "Grrr…..argh…. Heehhh…. Ehhhh….. aaaaghh..." He forced his subconscious to come out of his nightmares, not being able to bare it anymore, & he choked in his throat. His eyes flew open in fear towards the ceiling, moving his hand from his chest to his throat. A white & blue glow came in front of his vision & flowed into him. The glow was numbing his pain & letting air come back into his lungs.

He wanted to close his eyes, feeling at ease with the glow flowing into him, but he wanted to know as well as see where this glow was coming from. Once his breathing became steadily normal again & the glow slowly dissipated, his eyes looked to where it was. Trying to make out the form, adjusting his vision, noticing the form was that of a female. Once his vision cleared, his eyes widened in shock, fear & calmness seeping into his heart & mind.

"...Kisara?!...Is that really you?!" He hoped it really was her in the flesh, but he had a feeling she wasn't truly back. "...How are you here? You were buried during the war against Zorc…. I buried you in front of the stone tablet of the white dragon… How?!" He croaked out in a breathy whisper.

Kisara smiled at him once more & placed one hand on his cheek. He felt her as if she was actually alive, but her touch was faint, like that of a ghostly spirit breezing by. "It is me, Seto. My spirit guided me here to give you a moment of understanding. I've not come back alive, my love." Tears flowed slowly down her cheeks from her bright blue eyes. "I wish I were, but it cannot be done. How much I longed to see you."

Seto sat up & lifted his hand to place on top of hers that still held his cheek, trying every bit to see if he can feel her physically. Tears started to well up in his eyes & he clenched his teeth, knowing that she was indeed only here right in front of him as a spirit. He felt her transparently, but still willed himself to feel as if her flesh was there.

"I prayed to the Gods that they would bring you back to me. You can't imagine how much I wanted you to come back from the dead. How much I wish none of this war would've taken you away from me." Now the tears flowed freely just as they did when she was dead in his arms in front of her stone tablet. To see her here brought a sense of peace for the moment.

"I came to tell you something. I wanted to let you know that all that has happened is not your own fault. My soul is at peace knowing I saved you. You have so much left to do in this world, Seto. Don't let yourself succumb to grief and pain til your last breath, my love." She gently put both of her hands in her lap, but still looked at him with a solemn smile. "Please live your life, not for me, not for the people, but for yourself. Just because I'm no longer of this world, does not mean you also refrain from falling in love again. You have every right to have someone stand by your side & love them with all your being. I will always love you. But I will not hold you back to love someone else."

"Kisara, there's only you who my heart belongs to. No one will ever be able to surpass it." He looked at her with so much intensity in his words. "I don't think there is anyone out there who exists to wholeheartedly give their all like you did for me."

Kisara sighed. "You're wrong, Seto. There is. I am one of the three souls of light of the white dragon. The second is you. The third one is out there & they are waiting for you as well. Why do you think I let you be the sole keeper of the white dragon?" He looked at her, taking in all of this new information. There's three souls of light for the white dragon? How can it be? He wanted to know more knowledge about it. "I will explain it to you, my love."

He sat up straight to give his full attention. "There're really three souls of the white dragon? How is it that I haven't been able to harness the power to make the other come forth?"

"You can bring the second soul to come forth once you achieve to understand the light in the deepest parts of your heart. I can feel that you still hold on to pain, longer before I ever came into your life. That pain & darkness that no one was able to have knowledge about because you've bottled it up." He knew what she was referring to.

The absence of his father throughout his whole childhood. The unexpected demise of his mother because he helped Kisara escape from the bandits who kidnapped her years ago. The harsh studying he had to do to be chosen for the Pharaoh's court. Learning that his blood father was actually alive after all those years & then witnessing his true nature of the dark forces behind the millennium items. He held in a lot of resentment for that. It was all out of his control but he still couldn't help it knowing he was supposedly the main reason for some of the events that occurred.

"Seto, you must stop blaming yourself. It was out of your control. What's done is done & we can't change it now. I can't persuade you to move past everything right away. But eventually, you will learn to walk forward slowly." He lowered his gaze to his lap & contemplated on what she said. He won't heal right away, but at some point, things will get better.

"Kisara, how do you know things will get better? I'm being thrown with tasks left by Atem that were not meant for me. I'm now the ruling Pharaoh. I'm being sent off to find the bride that was meant for him & bring her back here to live a life with me. How do I know if things will eventually heal? What if this person does not want to leave her homeland once she sees that I am not the intended she was expecting? What if I even ruin her life like all the others? Or worse, what if she is taken away from me like everyone else was? How Kisara, how will time heal everything?" He clenched his teeth & his posture tensed up again.

She let her aura glow & held his clenched hands with hers. "I know because you always think through everything with rationality. You have a strong leadership that I've even seen with my own eyes. You have kindness & tolerance for those who exuberate compassion." She leaned forward, a bit over him, & held him in her arms. He held on to her tightly, laying his head on the junction of her neck & shoulder. "With time, you will heal. Do not once think you will forever be alone. My Ka is always with you, even if you're in danger. You will be able to harness your own Ka once you come to terms with your own light. The third will come across your path in due time."

Seto held on tighter, making sure her touch was etched onto his memory & skin. "Please don't leave, Kisara. Just stay here a bit longer." He cried quietly in her hair & shoulder, wrapping his muscular arms around her tighter. "I know at some point I must come to terms, but just stay here a bit longer with me. Even if it's just for a night. Let me hold you one last time." He moved his face out of her hair, to look straight at her, only an inch away from her face. He moved his hand to cup her chin. "Please, Kisara."

Kisara shivered slightly in his embrace, even though she was only a spirit right now. Her small, yet curvy frame in his hold made her wish she was alive, to want to live her life as a real woman by her lover's side. To be held intimately like this, with nothing on them or between them. To once hear each other's cries of pain, anguish, happiness, passion. To have each other's flesh burned into their memories.

But fate was cruel. Fate was just fucking cruel. To both of them & all of their loved ones. She let the last of her tears flow freely, looking into his eyes. "I'll stay for a while…...For one last time."

That was all he needed to hear before closing the gap between them, placing his lips on top of hers. Still holding her in his arms, he let themselves fall back on the bed. His head on the pillow first, then her thigh length hair covering them like a silver-white blanket. Her hands went up to his chest to keep herself lifted while her lips melted against his own. He really wished she was actually alive in flesh & blood. But all he had with her is here & now….in spirit. He let go of her lips, but still kept close. "I….I love you, Kisara."

She sighed deeply before moving her lips away to caress his face with soft kisses. His forehead, his eyelids, his nose, his cheeks, here, there, everywhere. Trailing down his jawline and neck with wet kisses before moving back up. She stopped right before his lips & looked deep into his azure eyes.

"I love you too, Seto. And I always will, habibi." This time, she kissed him & he opened his mouth to let each other delve deeper. To feel her, taste her, cherish her in some way.

Her glow emanated brighter around them, but his vision got darker ever so slowly. He let out a breathy sigh, kissing his way down to her neck. Moaning her name as his vision still kept getting darker. Letting his lips linger wet hungry kisses on her neck, he fought to stop his drowsiness from creeping up. He felt her head move & her arms wrap around his shoulders. He looked for her lips once more & claimed them. Drowsiness was apparently winning, because his vision had blurred & his world went black.

Kisara kissed his lips one last time, before looking at his face. "But please love HER more. With all your being, your heart, & your soul, love HER even more, Seto." She whispered to him, hoping it would seep into his subconscious. "She is waiting for you & you're even waiting for her, although you don't know it yet. Please love her with everything, Seto." She rested her head above his own on his pillow & held him against her. "I will still always love you…." She let herself fall asleep next to him, knowing that her spirit will fade away at sunrise.

* * *

Seto woke up from his sleep once the brightness of the sun seeped into his chambers. 'I feel really relaxed….after so long….But why? Did I sleep for too long?' His questions were running back & forth too early, at least for him, or so he thinks. He looked around his bed, thinking back on his dream of Kisara that seemed so real. That was the first time he had dreamed of her so pleasantly. Unlike the usual nightmares that he's had. But they were only dreams. Until he caught something in his line of vision that wasn't supposed to be there.

Gold jewels. Gold jewels that were on Kisara in his dream. 'But how can that be? So she was here?! All that happened….She was really here….holding me….I was holding her too….One last time.' He shifted slightly from his bed to the small post that had her jewels sitting on top. He tried to remember her words while he kissed her so passionately. He wished he didn't succumb to sleep & could've stayed awake longer with her.

He picked one of her necklaces up, the small gold band with an empty charm on it. He observed, seeing it was simple yet very elegant. The charm was empty of wadjet or even a gemstone. But it looked like it should be placed with a gemstone. He wondered what though. He placed the necklace down & got up from his bed to go towards his balcony. The sundial there told him it was mid morning, close to noon almost. 'Perhaps I did get an adequate amount of sleep. It was so peaceful with Kisara here with me.'

Seto looked over his kingdom from where he was standing. Citizens running around to restore the town along with his own soldiers that were giving them orders where to place everything. He breathed deeply & exhaled, knowing that today was the day that would have to leave for Greece. He turned around to go back into his chambers, picked up Kisara's jewels before anyone came into the room, & went to his private closet, where his family heirlooms were locked away underneath his royal robes.

Normally the servants of the pharaoh & his high court would place freshly cleaned robes in all of their closets. But Seto had made sure they didn't do that with him. He was skeptical of them, but also because he wanted no one to come close to his own heirlooms that were the last of his mother's before she was killed. He had very little left to remember her by. Praying to the Gods of Egypt that his mom was at peace in the afterlife throughout all these years. He moved the robes to the side, seeing the box where he stored his mother's belongings, & opened it.

His mother's Lapis Lazuli jewels. Having flashbacks of his mother, he remembered how beautiful she was, even when she wore these jewels on herself. The rich blue color would bring so much noor to her eyes, adding more blue depth to them. Her sweet voice telling him that one day, she would love for him to give these same jewels to his own wife. His heart started aching. This time, for his mother's presence. It has been several years since she's passed. But he still missed her everyday.

Picking up Kisara's jewels, he placed them into the box along with his mother's. He then noticed a lone piece of Lapis Lazuli stone that his mother never got to use to put on her newer jewels. He looked at the necklace of Kisara's & thought it would be possible after all that this stone would get used.

'Mother, if only you were here to witness me giving your jewels to my future bride, I'm sure you would have loved it. May your spirit always guide me wherever I go. I won't give all of your jewelry to my bride. But may your spirit even be with her in this stone that I will forge into Kisara's necklace. I will give it as a welcoming gift to my bride in Greece. I can only hope she will love it just like you did. But I hope that she will be compassionate & loving as you were even more than anything else.'

He looked deeper into the stone, getting lost in it's blue depths. No matter how much it would break to create more, it still held beauty in it's rich blue hue. He smiled, seeing how the spirit of his mom & Kisara would come together into this one piece, for his future bride from Greece. He took the necklace & stone, while putting the others locked away into the box, then covered it all again with his robes.

Not long after he got up, Isis came into his chambers. "My Pharaoh, how do you feel? Have you slept better?"

"Indeed, Isis, I actually did." He looked towards her after placing his new robes for the day & his journey down on his bed. "Kisara's spirit came to me last night."

Isis looked at him with a solemn smile. "How is she? Did she tell you what she needed to say?"

Seto, after days of grief & pain, finally gave a small smile in return. "She did come to make me understand. She is at peace knowing that I am safe & that I shouldn't blame this war on myself, that it's not my fault it happened."

"But she is right, Seto. Indeed, it was no fault of your own for what happened. You must not blame yourself further for this." Isis walked towards him until she was right next to him. "I came up once I felt that you were awake."

He looked to Isis' millennium necklace. "So it's working & not tampered with darkness. That's a very good sign." He looked back into his hand where the Lapis Lazuli stone & Kisara's necklace were. "I need you to do something & to make sure the task is completed before I leave for my journey today."

Isis placed her hand on his shoulder & spoke again. "I'm aware. I will tell the goldsmith to forge the stone into the necklace so that it is ready for your bride." She brought out a soft linen cloth for him to place the jewels in & hide from view from the servants & guards. "It will be completed very soon."

"Thank you Isis…. I apologize if I don't say it enough but I am grateful. Even with all that's going on & you handling this with the others remaining in our high court. I really am grateful." He placed the jewels in the linen cloth & folded it tight.

"Seto, you are very dear to us. We couldn't have chosen better for a new Pharaoh to rule over our kingdom. Not just from a bloodline, but also from intelligence & morality. May the Gods of Egypt always be with you." She placed the linen filled cloth in her pocket & covered her veil over her arms. "As well as your bride & queen when she arrives here. She will love this as well as her new journey." She came closer & wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him.

Seto not being used to this, but feeling much better after a long time, wrapped his arms around Isis & hugged her back. He would overcome this with time. Like Kisara said, not for her or for anyone else, but only himself. "I pray she does, Isis. I really do. May she love this like I do & cherish it."

Learning this new revelation of the three souls of light of the white dragon, his mindset had changed a bit as he realized. Kisara was the first soul, he was the second soul, & there was a third soul out there somewhere who was waiting to cross his path. What if it was the bride herself? What if the Greek Princess was the third soul of the white dragon? Even if the Ka was the protector of Egypt.

He can probably ask Isis through her power of the millennium necklace. But he knew better, after working alongside her for a few years now. If it was something very, very, very good that was bound to happen, she will not let a soul know about the good blessing to come.

He hugged her a bit tighter. "I must get cleaned up. I'll prepare some last few things before meeting Shimon. Have this ready soon." Loosening his arms, he let her go.

Isis stepped back a few inches from him & bowed. "Yes my Pharaoh."

"You know you don't have to do that when we're in private with one another of the high court." Seto reminded her. She stood up straight again.

"I know, but I still respect you enough to still bow to you, Seto." She turned to go leave his chambers. But not before letting her last words out before opening his doors. "I also respect that you didn't ask me how your bride looks or what she is like as a person or anything about what she likes or dislikes. I'm quite proud." She smiled as she opened his doors to leave.

Seto looked at her retreating back leave his chambers, a sudden frown on his face. "Damn woman! She still won't tell me." He took his new robes to his bathing chambers, seeing it was ready for him by the maids, and placed them on the bar nearby his bath. He stripped his body of his current sleeping robes, feeling the slight cool air hit every inch of his tanned skin & muscles, letting the robes drop to the floor. He let his fingers run through his long hair that came down to his mid back, and finally stepped into the warm water.

The essential oils mixed in with the water made the room smell so pleasant to his liking. He always had a strong liking to Oud mixed with a hint of coconut water & eucalyptus, & made it his signature scent. Not only was it a calming scent for him, but it was very relaxing for his muscles & mind, due to the stress relieving qualities of eucalyptus. He laid his head back on the ledge, letting the water touch every part of his body up to his shoulders.

A sudden thought occurred to him. What did the Greek Princess herself smelled like? What were her favorite oils or creams? What scents would she be fond of? What type of flowers would she love to smell or make herself smell like? Would she let herself be beside him in his bathing chambers like this? Or would it be different? Would she want it separate because she is shy?

If that were to be the case, how would they be with each other in the same chambers? If they're both stripped to nothing & she's still shy to be in front of him? What if he was shy to even touch her? Especially touching her very intimately…. "Ya Rab! Why am I even thinking, of someone I never met, like that?!"


	5. Chapter 5: Grecian Blue

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

My readers, we are finally here! The first ...breathtaking moment...of the past! Bare with me! Thank you! **:)**

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, theme, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

 _'Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

Songs/Translations

 **Location/Date/Time**

 **"Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 5: Grecian Blue**

 _ **Memfis, Ancient Egypt**_

 _ **3000 B.C.**_

"Isis, this is truly beautiful. You have made sure the goldsmith had done this correctly. Seto's bride will love it!" Shimon exclaimed to Isis. The Lapis Lazuli jewels were placed very intricately into Kisara's necklace. Shimon inspected further, awed at it's deep blue hue. The greek princess will definitely be enamoured by it.

Isis smiled. "I assure you, Shimon, she truly will. Seto just has to arrive there safely & present it to her highness." The goldsmith had done his job quicker when he heard his new Pharaoh was leaving soon & delivered it on time.

Shimon handed the newly forged necklace to her. "Is Seto ready for his journey to Greece?" Seto walked in behind the old man very discreetly. Isis chose to keep quiet, being amused of the coming scene.

"Shimon, I'm appalled that you would think that I'm not prepared ahead of time for anything. Especially for a journey that was very unplanned for me after my unexpected succession to Pharaoh." Shimon flinched & almost lost his composure, his heart racing fast.

"Seto! We just had a war! You shouldn't sneak up like that! Especially on someone of the Pharaoh's court!" Shimon shrieked. Isis still kept a straight face.

Seto mused, provoking him a bit more before he takes his departure. "But I didn't. Isis just simply kept quiet about me being behind you. Surely, I'm not to be blamed for someone else's silence, now am I?" Shimon turned his to Isis, glaring at her. Isis finally released a spree of giggles. "See? She even wanted to see you flinch."

"Priestess Isis, that is absolutely uncalled for!" The old man glowered at her. "Grrr, both of you will end up sending me to my sarcophagus before I even get to live to see my great grandchild! Ridiculous!"

Isis handed over the necklace to Seto along with a silk cloth. "Forgive me, Shimon. I haven't been amused in so long. It was needed." She smiled again. "It's good to depart in high spirits."

Shimon grunted. "Hmmpphh! I'll show you two one day!" He looked towards Seto. "Now enough with the scare tactics. You must be on your way to Greece, Seto."

Seto didn't want to give up just yet. "You want to get rid of me that easily, Shimon? I'm insulted! Guess I'm not the effort to put a fight up against."

Shimon flustered in disbelief. "Seto, you know that's not true at all!"

"I'm merely jesting." Seto looked towards the guards. "Prepare my ship for departure! We must leave to Greece now!" He looked back towards Isis & Shimon. "Watch for any & everything in my absence. We can't have any catastrophes this soon. Be safe."

"You as well, my pharaoh. May the gods be with you & with your bride as well when returning." Isis bid him goodbye as well as Shimon, though he did it silently this time. Both watched him turn to leave towards his ship. Isis knew Seto will be blown away when meeting the Greek princess. But she prayed to the gods that they would return back safely.

Seto walked along the plank to board his ship. Musing, he was actually going to miss teasing the old man. But time will not wait for him. "Embark for our departure now! We leave to the kingdom of Krete in Greece!" He felt his guards move the ship & the low rumbling of the Nile's water swish against the bottom. He looked at Isis & Shimon one last time, then looked toward the north to set sail.

* * *

 _ **Krete, Ancient Greece**_

 _ **3000 B.C.**_

Teana looked out at the Mediterranean Sea from her balcony & the hills surrounding it. She would miss the sea breeze when she had to leave her father's kingdom. Contemplating the few days she has left, she wondered if she could change her father's mind on getting married to the new Pharoah. She might persuade him to just let her get married to a Greek prince instead of anyone from the outside. She wasn't familiar to a full extent on Egyptian culture or it's traditions. It was a whole mystery to her honestly. But she didn't feel ready to leave Greece at all.

Athena & one of their maids came into Teana's chambers. Seeing her sit near the balcony, they were also looking at the afternoon sun lighting up the Grecian blue waters. "Teana, why are you so quiet? You should be finishing preparing for the Pharaoh's arrival."

Teana looked over her shoulder at her sister & their maid. "I'm not ready."

Their maid, Lidia, decided to speak, sensing Teana's discomfort. "Are you not ready to meet the new Pharaoh? Or are you not ready to leave us & Krete behind?"

"Both. I don't want to leave. This has been my home my whole life. I don't know how life is like on the other side of the Mediterranean. I'm not going…. I'm going to tell father that I won't marry him. I will get married to a Greek man & still live in my homeland to be closer to my father. I'll still be able to care for him in his sickness. I won't leave." Tea confessed.

Lidia had a concerned look on her face. She was nearly in her middle ages, as old as both the girls' father. She had helped Talia bring all three children into the world safely during labour & childbirth. It was going to hurt Alexandrios' heart if Teana backed out now. He had to get both of their kingdoms to have an alliance for future generations to come. "Teana, child, you can't go against your father's wishes. You know the times are quite straining on our kingdom right now & he has been ill after Talia passed. And with your mother's passing, he just wants you to be in safe hands."

Teana looked at her Lidia in disbelief. "He doesn't even know the new Pharaoh like that to assume he'll keep me in safe hands. What if he's charming in front of my father, & then quite the opposite and abusive when I am finally inside his kingdom? What if he is actually a man who likes looking for other women even though I will be his betrothed? What if I don't have the proper heir for him to be his successor & he possibly finishes off with me in some way? What then?"

"Teana, please don't think like that. You'll still have a few days here to get to know him before you both leave together to Egypt. Other than the formal knowledge we know of him, please give him a chance to know who he really is." Athena chastised. Though Athena may be younger than Teana, she was more cautiously optimistic.

Teana turned to look back out to the balcony. The Grecian blue waters calming her already stressed thoughts slightly. "If father didn't want to be frustrated, then why not get me betrothed to someone in Greece? To save our kingdom with one of our own? From Athens or Thessaloniki? Or even Hades himself? That would seem like a better match than anyone outside."

Lidia had enough. "Princess, that is enough! I have seen you go from a tiny little baby to a grown young woman. Be calm & gather your troubling thoughts before his highness comes here. You are to not disrespect your father & king in front of the new Pharaoh! Prepare yourself, young lady!"

Teana knew better than to talk back to her oldest maid, & her mother's old & dearest friend. She was very frustrated on the inside. Athena gave her forlorn look, almost silently saying 'to just listen & please obey father's wishes'. "Fine! I'll get to see who he is…."

"Good! Change your robes now. He will be here shortly." Lidia went to get Teana's new stitched robes. The soft satin fabric with Grecian blue color was perfect for the upcoming evening of the Pharaoh's arrival. Surely he might love it when he sees Teana in it. Lidia mused, knowing she waited long to see Teana to one day get married since she was born, but sad that she won't get to witness it in front of her eyes. She couldn't leave her King's side to be with Teana in Egypt. As much as she would've liked to, she had to remain here for Athena still.

"Come on Teana, you need to get ready." Athena told her. Teana took her new robes from Lidia & they both left Teana alone to change. Her long hair had already been washed, then brushed & she only used crushed rose paste, with oils mixed in, to color her lips. 'I don't find the need to look decent for a man I don't even know. Oh mighty Zeus, why have you cursed this upon me to go to another land with an unknown man?'

Teana felt the fabric of her new robe, the softness of it making her feel nostalgic. Her mother had worn the same color when she was still alive. During the season where flowers bloomed everywhere & they would all visit the gardens by the cliffs overlooking the sea. She remembered how beautiful her mother looked wearing this very color & the loving look her father gave towards Talia. As if he fell in love with her all over again for the very first time. Teana wished for that kind of love to be given to her when she finally found someone to share her life with.

She couldn't quite understand how the circumstances have come to this. Sharing her life with a man she didn't love, much less know. The same robe her mother had worn to their beautiful past outings, she's going to wear to meet her soon to be husband & Pharaoh. The other gods sitting next to Zeus must be laughing at her predicament. 'I still think Hades would've been a better option than whoever this is coming here. Maybe Cerberus should come out & devour me right now.'

She put the top half of her hair pulled back with a small blue tie & placed white lilies on it, cascading down to the middle. The rest of her hair fell loose around her. She placed her wrist jewelry & earrings on, then tied a white satin sash around her waist to complete her look, since the blue robe wrapped around with the straps being on her shoulder & the hem flowing down with a small train. Just as she finished tying her sash, she heard the door to her chambers open.

"My, my, you look very beautiful just like mother." The deep voice of her brother, Thalios, made her a bit happy at the moment. She turned around so he could get a better look at her. "Yes, just like mother. Teana, my little sister, when did you grow up into a woman so fast?"

She gave him a smirk, "You sound like you've been living in a cave, my dear brother. You look like it too."

Thalios knew her sarcasm was coming way too early. "Well, there are about thousands of them in Greece, so it makes sense since I've been away for a bit & not being able to see you nor Athena for a while." He walked closer to give his little sister a hug. "I wanted to be here on time by your side when the Pharaoh takes you away as his bride. Wouldn't be proper if I never got to say goodbye."

"It's not a goodbye, Thalios. It will never be a goodbye. I'm not ready for this, brother. To marry a man I don't know & what may come my way in a land across the sea, where I won't have any of my family to reach. Why can't I marry someone of our own & stay near father in these hard times?" She looked up at her brother, anxiety showing in her bright eyes.

"Teana, you mustn't assume things in the negative. I'll be here by your side. If I get any negative or foreboding sense when he arrives, then I won't let you leave. Father may be sick, but he is only doing his best because he wants you to rule someday in case anything comes to worse. You will bring our kingdoms together to form an alliance & you will reign as queen. Greece & Egypt will become one. Our bond will be formidable." Thalios spoke from a warrior perspective more than that of a brother. But she knew that he wanted her to be happy no matter where she went.

Teana shrugged. Thalios hugged her tighter in a protective stance. He sensed her crippling anxiety even more now as time passed by. She let go of him. "I'll do this for father. But if you sense even one bad thing about him, then you better convince father to find me a Greek man. Am I clear?"

Thalios laughed at her negotiation. "Ok, little sister. If our father's choice doesn't please you, what makes you think mine will be any better?"

Teana gave him a stern look, a very hard one. "Because I know you'll do anything just so I don't start walking towards the underworld & trade places with Persephone. Hades is starting to look very suitable & handsome to me."

"Stop it, Teana. You'll never get Persephone kicked out. You have a better chance of getting eaten by Cerberus. Now let's go. Father is waiting for us." He reached for the misplaced white lily in the back of her hair & fixed it in a proper position. Now it looked more of a proper floral half crown of white lilies instead of a scatter of lilies.

"Really big brother, you shouldn't have fixed it. I would rather look like a mess in front of his highness." She wouldn't calm down on her sarcasm, Thalios thought defeatedly. "In fact, perhaps I should look even more monstrous for the next few days he is here.

Thalios laughed again at her negotiations doomed for failure. "Nonsense. Lidia won't let you leave the room being monstrous in the first hour." He heard her groan. He extended his arm out to her, & she placed her hands on his elbow area. They walked out of her room together & walked down the hall leading towards the middle of her palace where the stairs lead them down. They saw Stavros at the bottom of the stairs & one of Thalios' comrades, Caius.

Caius turned around, & was in awe of Teana coming down with Thalios. "Princess, you look very elegant. It's hard to believe that you are even Thalios' sister at times. You hardly look anything like him. I hear congratulations are in order for your upcoming marriage to the new Pharaoh."

"And here I thought you were my favorite brother in combat & friendship, Caius." Thalios admitted wryly.

"I jest, Thalios." Caius defended. "But Teana has grown lovely. May Zeus & the gods always be with her & anywhere she walks in her path."

Teana rose a brow at both of them. "I'd much prefer Hades at the moment. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll walk towards my foreboding doom." She let go of Thalios' arm & huffed passed them. Stavros walked by her left side while Thalios & Caius followed behind her.

Caius decided to whisper his thoughts. "Thalios, why is she favoring Hades? Is she planning to escape?"

Thalios whispered back. "No…. She's not ready to leave us & Greece behind. She's afraid of going to a new land & doesn't want to leave our father in his current state. I feel for her, but I can't necessarily go against my father's wishes. He just wants her safe."

Caius mused. "Do you think the Egyptians will be very welcoming to her? She may be a princess of royal blood, but she is still a lady. Her safety is more important, Thalios."

Thalios tried to reassure him, "Caius, I wouldn't let any harm befall her. I've trained her to use any form of defense if she ever stumbles upon trouble. You know she's a fighter & very strong willed. My only problem is having trust in the Pharaoh. More than the Egyptian people, I want to see for myself if I can trust him." Then he heard Stavros speak up.

"My king has advised me that Princess Teana be escorted to the throne room in arms with Prince Thalios. My king & the Pharaoh of Egypt are waiting upon your arrival." Stavros looked back to them. Knowing Caius walks behind Thalios & Teana, while he walks in front of them to announce their arrival.

Teana felt that anxious feeling fluttering around her heart. 'He's here already? He arrived way ahead of time than I've been told. It hasn't even reached afternoon yet.. He was supposed to arrive some time before sunset.'

They all reached the throne room. Hearing their king's voice along with the Pharaoh in front of him, though his back was towards them. Teana couldn't help but think that she should escape, but Stavros spoke, making it too late to run. "My king, Princess Teana is here escorted by Prince Thalios." Her father glanced at her way with a smile, & then the Pharaoh turned around to look. Teana's heart dropped at who she was looking at. "This is Pharaoh Seto of Egypt." The Pharaoh was tall, muscular yet lean, & his skin was a rich caramel contrasting his white & blue robes. But what had her captivated were his blue eyes.

Lidia decided to walk to Teana's side & whispered in her ear. "He's quite handsome, isn't he?" Teana may have been frozen at the moment being entranced by him, but she couldn't have agreed more with Lidia.


	6. Chapter 6: Royal Blue

***Author's Note & Disclaimer***

Hiii Everyone! I'm finally here after 9 months with Chapter 6! It's been a harsh several months, but I'm coping. I hope you guys are safe & well rested at home during this **COVID-19 Pandemic.** As I'm writing this, it is **May 14th, 2020** today. I'm currently on **Day 60 of the QUARANTINE/LOCKDOWN** in the TriState (NY, NJ & CT) in America. Sending my prayers for patience & strength to all of you at this time! I updated Chapters 1-5 (in case you saw the email notifications popped up in your inbox today) because Google Drive now has Grammar & Spell Check available. So I had to do some revisions. Chapter 6 below will be a bit longer, depending on the device that you are using to read this, as it will involve Seto & Téa finally meeting! I hope you enjoy reading this! **:)**

Some popular places mentioned here from **New York City** are:

 **-** ** _Empire State Building_** _(located in Midtown Manhattan)_

 _-_ ** _Au Za'atar_** _(Popular Lebanese restaurant located in East Village)_

 _-_ ** _NYU Langone Medical Center_** _(located in Kips Bay by FDR Drive nearby Midtown Manhattan)_

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, themes, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page **xoladytaz**. Thank you!

"Talking/Quotes"

' _Thoughts/Flashbacks'_

 _Songs/Translations_

 _ **Location/Date/Time**_

" **Emphasis"**

-Social Media/Text Messages-

 **Chapter 6: Royal Blue**

 _ **Domino City, Tokyo, Japan**_

 _ **May 11th, 2018, 6:15am**_

Seto packed the last of his clothes in his suitcase just as Noah walked into his room. "So you're really going to go after her?"

Seto looked up at his younger brother. "Yes I am. I think it's high time I make sense of these flashbacks from the past & see where life goes with her. If I don't, I'm sure I'm bound to get tortured by my own dragons."

Noah smirked at the thought. "Yeah, pretty sure ol' blue eyes would strike you with her own lightning blast. Do you think she might also be having any of these flashbacks of the past herself?" He went over next to Seto to help him pick up one of the luggages he was taking with him. Seto went still for a minute to take it all in. He would hope she wasn't having flashbacks. Only because it would sort of ruin all his plans to see her during this trip.

"I can't say for sure if she does or doesn't have the same flashbacks. But I'd prefer it if she really isn't. The point of this trip would become shit." He surveyed the room to see if he was missing anything to take with him. Everything he'd need on the plane was in his metal briefcase & the rest of his outfits & such were in his luggages. Seeing nothing else important to take with him, he turned to leave his bedroom with Noah. "Can you possibly keep Mokuba grounded while I'm gone?"

Noah walked with him towards the stairs to go to their foyer downstairs, & huffed, "Please! He wouldn't even stay grounded if you locked him up in the space station. You should've left him up there instead if you didn't want him to be up to anything. I'm not the one that actually needs a babysitter. He does!"

"I know you don't. Except he can't stay away from you since I brought you back. So you two peas in a pod are stuck together while I'm gone." He heard Noah groan in annoyance next to him as they stepped into the foyer. & then a bark. Then the shuffling of paws. Then a cry of whimpering. He looked down when he felt the furball attached to his right leg & peered at bright amber gold eyes that looked just like the Taisho's in their humanoid demon forms. He really didn't need this right now. "Not now, Spike…."

Spike Kaiba, the current Kaiba family's 3 month old purebred German Shepherd puppy. Much to Seto's dismay, he knew there'd be a dog in the house after he brought Noah back, remembering Noah's flashbacks in the Virtual World of him having his own cyber puppy that Gozaburo gave him. He just didn't think it'd be so soon. Though Seto was not a fan of half the canine species, their little furball grew on him when Noah brought him home. It took a week at most, as well as Seto threatening to cut their allowances while they're away at Balamb Garden, but Seto gave up trying to give the dog back when all 3 of them gave him the sad puppy eyes. All 3 meaning Mokuba, Noah, & Spike, at the same time.

Noah smiled at the little pup. "Come on, Spike. He'll be back soon, with puppy gifts in tow for you." Spike barked with joy, his fluffy tail wagging, tongue slightly out. He looked back up at Seto. "It's too bad you can't fly on the Blue Eyes Jet or any of the Kaiba Corp planes in comfort going towards New York City."

Seto placed his metal briefcase down & held his hands out for Spike to jump in them. The furball happily obliged & Seto picked him up. "They were way overdue for a refresh & renovations. Besides, they'll be done by the time I decide to come back after Téa's graduation. I have to work on KaibaLand in America, so being at the headquarters in New York is convenient. I can ride in our own plane when I'm coming back to Japan."

He poked at Spike's snoot, the puppy giving his finger a lick. "You!" Spike gave a second lick. "You better not shit all over the house & rip any of the furniture with your teeth while I'm gone. Do you understand?!" He tried to sound as intimidating as possible for the pup, but Spike ignored his intimidation by biting lightly on Seto's finger. He groaned & turned back to Noah. "Noah, if he doesn't learn how to stop biting by the time I come back, he's going to Balamb Garden with both of you."

Noah looked at him skeptically. "They don't allow pets in the dorms over there. I read it in the Garden's manual."

Seto took his finger out of Spike's mouth & started massaging the puppy's ears. Spike relaxed into his touch & nestled closer in his arms. Seto resisted the cuteness. The puppy had to learn very soon as he was starting to get bigger. "So what? Angelo's there & no one kicked her out."

Noah sweatdropped because he knew it was not Angelo that Seto disliked, but rather the Australian Shepherd's owner. "Oh come on! You know Angelo won't get kicked out because Rinoa is Squall's girlfriend." Seto really disliked Rinoa Caraway-Heartilly with a passion for many reasons, & at times, even tells Squall not to trust her so much throughout the years. Though Noah thinks it's a bit much to loathe a Sorceress, not many people in Balamb & Esthar really even liked her either….since she was annoying.

"Heartilly couldn't even keep herself together when they battled Ultimecia. Not to mention she almost kills her dog trying to feed her white chocolate. Any sane person with common sense knows not to feed chocolate to any domestic dogs today." Yup, Seto really hated her.

"Sesshomaru, Inuyasha & the rest of the Taisho family eat chocolate!" Noah chastised.

"They're all dog demons. Not domesticated dogs. And Inuyasha has human blood running in his veins as well. So it wouldn't bother him in any way at all." Seto quipped back. "Heartilly is just a spoiled fucking bitch. Her true colors will show & I hope Squall realizes it sooner than later. Sesshomaru's not fond of her either." Remembering Sesshomaru's & Inuyasha's words that she had started to smell like another person's scent on her body sometimes made things uneasy. The one time after Sesshomaru mentioned this in front of Squall, Rinoa learned to be careful about washing the unknown person's scent off of her before coming around the Taisho's.

Not to mention her attitude & spoiled princess nature annoyed them all. Squall would've been better off with any other woman in the world instead of Rinoa. They find it hard to understand how Squall even tolerates Rinoa the past 6 years. They even knew of her father, General Fury Caraway, who has a strong dislike of Squall & Squall's family altogether. General Caraway even wanted Rinoa to break it off with Squall, but she wouldn't budge even if her treatment towards Squall was wrong in their eyes.

Noah knew he had to talk to Squall about having Spike with them when they would stay at Balamb. He just wasn't sure if he would be allowed to by Headmaster Cid. "I'll talk to Squall about it later when he comes over the weekend. Just ease up on Rinoa a bit, will ya?"

Seto glared at him. "Never. That bitch can drop dead. She's not important or even relevant to the prophecy. So that makes her Sorceress status complete bullshit. Especially when she didn't earn her powers through hard work. It was just passed on to her so that she can be used."

Both heard a loud sleepy yawn come from the top of the stairs & a soft plush violet blanket covering the person's black mop of hair & body. Mokuba walked down the stairs gingerly, heavy sleep still evident in his walk & yawn. He wanted to sleep in before going late to school, but he could never miss saying bye to Seto whenever Seto flew off for longer than a weekend. Spike barked in Mokuba's direction. "Morning to you too, Spikey." Mokuba yawned loudly again.

"Your breath still smells like last night's dinner." Noah covered his nose, trying to swat away the air from Mokuba's mouth. "You should lay off the onions, Mokie."

Mokuba let the plush blanket fall from his head, revealing very messy, frazzled, black hair. "You can't eat lamb gyro over rice without onions. It's just uncalled for." Any type of gyro meat topped on top of saffron rice with falafel, white sauce, pita bread, onions, & salad has been a favorite of his since he went to New York City the first time several years ago. "The crunch of the onions is perfect in every bite of the meat & rice."

Getting out of a meeting with Seto one day had made Mokuba's eyes look across the street at the many street food vendors & his stomach started growling so bad. He told Seto off that he was getting food at that very minute & ran quickly across the street to the halal gyro stand. After ordering his combo gyro platter of lamb, falafel, & chicken along with the rest of the side items, he paid for his food & Seto's before he rushed back across the street to where Seto & their limo were waiting. They ate their gyro platters in the limo while being driven back to their hotel. Mokuba fell in love with the taste of the gyro platter. Seto wasn't too far from the same thought. But Mokuba loved it to the point where he'd eat it every day while he was in New York City. Seto liked the taste just as much, but did not choose to eat it daily like him.

"Yeah, but you use way too much onions any time you put gyro on your own plate. A few rings is enough. Not half of the whole onion." Noah quipped back. Spike barked in agreement, scrunching his snoot away from Mokuba & into Seto's chest.

Seto looked sternly at Mokuba. "You're going to get ready for school after I leave & actually make it to school on time today." He heard Mokuba whine. "Save it. You're graduating in a few weeks. Make the last days of high school last, PROPERLY. Study for your finals too." He put Spike down & signaled the butler to take his luggages to Roland.

"Ok, as long as you start going out with Téa & finally get it on, then I will." Mokuba grinned at him. Seto narrowed his eyes at him & lightly smacked the back of Mokuba's head. "Come on, big bro! Take it easy. I'll study for the finals. Besides, you planned several babysitters for me anyway." Mokuba started massaging the back of his head where Seto smacked him.

"I'm warning you, Mokuba. Behave. Especially with Squall & the others. & nothing less than straight A's for your final grades." Seto warned him. It was too early for his kid brother to be a pervert. The butler came back in along with Roland.

"Master Kaiba, we're ready to leave. No flights are delayed at Narita & the skies are reported to be cleared of storms." Roland told him. "You should land on time at JFK airport by 10am eastern time."

"Thank you Roland. Now as for you two," he turned back to his brothers, "Get ready for school, behave, study, train Spike, & NO HOUSE PARTIES. Is that clear?" Noah & Mokuba groaned, but nodded their heads in yes. Spike barked in agreement. Noah bent down to pick up the pup before he could escape going outside. "Good. I'll call later before I get on board." Both gave him a one arm hug, no thanks to each carrying something in their arms & Seto walked out.

"Bye Seto!" They both yelled out, closing the door to the mansion.

* * *

 _ **New York City, New York, United States**_

 _ **May 11th, 2018. 1:14PM**_

The city was bustling with people as the weekend was going to start. Thankfully the skies were clear of rain clouds with the sun casting down warm rays at the city of five boroughs inhabiting more than eight million residents. Téa was ecstatic having finished the last final of the week this morning. The weather report said it was going to be a very sunny weekend with temperatures from the high 60's to low 70's Fahrenheit. The warm air breezed around her, fluttering her dress lightly.

She chose a great day to wear her new sundress. An off the shoulder, short-sleeved royal blue top that was attached to a waist-to-mid-thigh flared white skirt printed with blue roses on it. To finish her outfit look, she paired it with strappy nude heels & pale gold jewelry. She even wore light makeup consisting of ash brown smokey eyeshadow, thin black winged liquid eyeliner, HudaBeauty lashes, mascara, light bronze contouring, ivory highlight, & honey pink matte liquid lipstick. Elena did a really nice job doing her makeup this morning before they left for school.

Speaking of Elena, they were supposed to meet for lunch after Téa got out of her Physician's office. She looked up & noticed she was two blocks away from the Empire State Building. While walking towards the famous building, she pulled out her iPhone to call her.

After a few rings, Elena finally picked up. " _Hey hun! Sorry about that. I just finished up work over here. How did the doctor's appointment go?"_ Elena asked.

Téa sighed. "Hiiii! It went well. Apparently they want me to start the pill rather than me trying to get the metal rod in my arm. Because I've never been sexually active yet, I should start with a simple method first to get my body to ease into it. How was your final?"

" _It was a drag. I hated it. I just want to know why the person who invented math ever thought it'd be a great idea to implement that shit into everything in our lives?! Like seriously. Why torture us like that with equations of numbers & letters put together that's going to be so fucking useless in our lives after we get out of school?"_ Elena complained. Téa can hear the intercom of the cardiac building at NYU Langone Medical Center fading out as she heard Elena leave it. " _You hungry after all of that today?"_

"Yes I am. We both need food. I'm craving Lebanese food so bad. Plus we're dressed up very nicely for today's weather with an awesome lunch." Téa grinned in delight. Ever since they saw Instagram posts of the tableside shawarmas trending at Au Za'atar, they've made it their plan to finally try it out when both of their finals were finished for their last semester in undergrad. "We don't necessarily need a reservation there, do we?

" _No, not now at least. I don't think that they're so busy around this time over there. They'll probably be busier around 4pm when everyone starts getting out of work."_ The images of tableside shawarma, mezze platters, & mixed grilled meats had Elena's mouth salivating since she woke up this morning. She made it her mission to snap perfect angles of all their food for social media. " _We also have to discuss our flight plans for Japan, too. I'm two blocks away."_

It was now close to mid May. It didn't occur to Téa's mind that they'd have to purchase their tickets soon before they'd start skyrocketing prices in June. But the problem was that she had been so busy studying when she got out of school & work to even pay attention. "I hear you. At least we can clearly look at it now without worrying for finals anymore. Do you have any specific date when you'd like to leave?"

" _Yes, preferably mid-June for me. You already know why."_ She groaned.

Téa felt bad that just when they could start enjoying their time after graduation, Elena had to start fasting. She was used to it in the years that she's lived with her over here. But during graduation season, it sucked because that's when most people feel relieved to celebrate their hearts out. Poor Elena.

Elena continued. " _I mean, it won't be hard to fast. But it would just delay my time to have fun."_

"No worries, Elena. The only sad part on your end is that you don't get any caffeine for thirty days." Téa giggled. "I'll be prepared for the bitchier side of you!" She can picture Elena sweatdrop on the other end.

As she kept walking to the front of the Empire State Building entrance, she didn't notice the weirdo being chased by the police behind her. Nor did she notice the familiar figure coming out near her side. She was oblivious to everything but her phone call at the moment, only hearing Elena's voice on the other line.

" _Not funny, Téa. You know how much coffee means to my soul. Anyways, I'm very close right now. So I'll han-"_ Téa didn't hear Elena's finishing sentence when a passerby screamed out loud in front of her field of vision.

" **MISS! WATCH OUT!"**

Téa stared in confusion because there were plenty of people walking around her. But as she tried to turn her head to see if they meant it to someone else behind her, she didn't get to fully see who it was as she got shoved really hard out of the way. Her heels couldn't keep her balanced on the ground, & her hair flew all around her face & body. Her tote bag loosened from her arms as she was falling & she reflexed her arms to guard her face before she hit the concrete on her skull. Panic struck her as the voices around her blurred out & her eyes didn't see the strong masculine arms that came out to catch her from hitting the ground.

She was zoned out & couldn't feel reality for what felt like hours. But it must've only been a minute. She was shaking, not realizing she didn't feel concrete under the skin of her forearms. The figure holding her held her closer when he felt her shaking. Her mind was a blur, til she heard a voice. Distant, yet near.

"Ma'am, are you ok?" The masculine figure asked her. She still had her face covered by her arms & her hair. He was sure she still was panicking. Something felt very familiar about her.

Téa slowly clutched at the suit covered chest & opened her eyes, her face still obscured by her bangs & long hair. She steadied her breathing & tried to get her senses to come back to a normal level. She saw white, and blue, and even more white. Her vision cleared, seeing it was a business suit with a white blazer, blue shirt, & a white tie. The voice of the figure was slowly registering in her mind. Her eyes went to the blazer's pocket. ' _K...C..?'_ Her mind flashed with memories of someone familiar who wore this same suit in the past, at an event. ' _KC...Grand Prix...Kaiba Corp Grand Prix. ….Kaiba Corp.. Kaiba…?!'_ Everything started to come together in her head. Her mouth could only utter a name. "...Kaiba…?"

The masculine figure, stunned at hearing the sound of her familiar voice saying his name, loosened his hold on the woman in his arms just a teeny, tiny bit. Now he really took a look at her. Her height at just below his head & neck. The color of her shoulders, slender arms, & manicured hands looking a healthy, warm-toned shade of fair. Her hair, her straight chocolate colored hair.. & bangs..? His mind flashbacked to the only woman who could have these features that he had paid attention to… ' _It couldn't be….?_ His heart started beating fast at the thought & feeling. "...Gardner….?"

She looked up at hearing her name, her azure blue eyes looking into the man's own azure blue eyes, which were equally surprised looking at her. Eyes that she knew by heart & memory. She clutched at the blazer a bit tighter. "Kaiba!" The one & only person she's been haunted by in her dreams & thoughts was right here in front of her.

"Gardner, are you ok?!" Seto felt Téa's hands clutch tighter at his blazer, feeling she was still panicked by her fall. He stood up straighter, taking her with him, noticing their posture was awkward when he caught her from hitting the concrete.

"...I…I'm….I'm not on the ground.." She must've been shoved way too hard due to her inability to form a full coherent sentence in front of the man who she thought of a lot lately.

Seto raised his eyebrow at this. Trying his best to drown out the voices of the people around them, he took another look at her. No scratches or bruises from the hard shove on her face, shoulders, or arms. He remembered she was about to turn around to look behind her, but he didn't recognize her at that time until now. "Yes, I caught you on time. Are you feeling dizzy? Or lost? Do you know where you are?" He asked.

Téa got her mind to focus. She was walking. Talking on the phone with Elena to come meet her here in front of the Empire State Building. A person screamed in front of her. She was shoved hard. Kaiba caught her from falling. "I'm not hurt...I was talking….Empire State Building. Elena was coming. I'm not hurt..I'm ok." She stayed looking into his eyes. Her heart wanted to jump out of her chest.

Seto still looked with concern at her. "Good. Your speech is coming out normal. Were you coming here?"

She noticed how hard she was holding on to his white blazer. "Oh my god! I'm sorry, Kaiba!" She let go & tried to smooth out the wrinkles her hands made. Now she was panicked & freaking out.

"Gardner, don't worry about it. Now were you com-", he didn't get to finish his sentence when he heard a voice call out her name.

"TÉA!" They both turned their heads to the direction of the voice. Both see a woman running towards them, with her hair flying wildly behind her. "OH MY GOD, TÉA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Téa called out to the woman. Seto watched on, realizing this was the woman Téa mentioned. "Elena!"

Elena stopped running when she came two feet close to them. Trying to catch her breath, she tried to speak again. "I saw what happened when I was about to hang up on you. Holy shit, are you ok?" Still catching her breath, she crouched a bit, put her hands on her thighs, & steadied herself, no thanks to her also wearing high heels for work today.

Seto looked at the woman named Elena. Parts of his flashbacks of the past popped up in his mind. He took in Elena's features. Long dark brown hair, light-medium chai colored skin, donned in an olive knee-length midi dress with nude heels that hugged her curvy figure. She was about the same height as Téa, but what shook him were her eyes. Icy gray eyes. Just like the woman that had appeared in his past life along with Téa. ' _...She looks just like her. Even the name is similar. Is she….really alive?'_

"Elena, I'm fine. I'm ok. I didn't know there were people behind me chasing someone." Téa let her know.

"Shit, those cops were really after that guy. They jumped him at the end of the block, too," she pointed backwards behind her, "right when I started running towards you." She looked down for a minute, noticing Téa had dropped her iPhone in the midst of her fall. She bent down a bit to pick it up, & stood up inspecting it. "Guess your iPhone is fine too. Only the screen protector is cracked. But it's better than your actual screen being broken & shattered."

Téa sighed in relief. "Great. I'm saved from getting a new one."

Elena took in that moment to notice that her best friend was being held by some guy. In his arms, no less. Though it looked more intimate rather than platonic. He was very tall. If they weren't wearing heels, she was sure that they'd be much shorter standing next to him. He had soft chestnut brown hair, sun kissed complexion, noticeable muscle definition underneath his white suit attire. But his eyes. She noticed they were also the same shade of azure blue as Téa's but his eyes held some coldness to them. His suit definitely matched his eyes. & with Téa's outfit as well. _'Now that's ironic.'_

"...Um...Hi! Thank you for catching my best friend from falling on the ground." Elena told him.

Seto shook off the thoughts going on his mind, seeing that the woman Elena was actually talking to him. "It's no problem." He turned back to Téa, not realizing he was still holding her in his arms. "Who would've known that the next time I'd ever see you, I'd have to save you again, Gardner?"

Elena blinked her eyes at him. "'Gardner'? Who are you?" She looked to Téa. "Do you know him, Téa?"

Téa started laughing nervously. ' _Why me?!'_ She could feel a blush starting to bloom on her cheeks underneath her makeup. "..Hehe..Yes.. I know him.." She felt more nervous by the second. "Kaiba, this is my best friend & roommate, Elena Shadowze." She turned from Seto to Elena. "Elena, this is Seto Kaiba."

Elena gasped very loud. Putting her hand over her busty cleavage & her eyes widening in shock. Seto looked at her, surprised that she really didn't know who he was. Téa silently prayed for Elena to not say something sarcastic. "Oh my god!" Elena laughed. "Wow! You are right! He is very fucking beautiful!"

It was at this moment that Téa really wished she would've fallen on the concrete instead. ' _WHY ME?!'_


End file.
